(TargetLiberty.org) – On Wednesday, a group of House Conservatives introduced new legislation that would prevent the big tech giants from censoring political speech on the Internet. The Stop the Censorship Act of 2020 would revoke tech companies’ legal immunity if they remove lawful political speech from their platforms.
The new legislation lines up with the recommendations of the Justice Department.
Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), one of the sponsors of the bill, said Congress couldn’t allow big tech companies to continue to determine what speech is allowable online. He argued Congress must rein in the broad immunity for the removal of users and content.
This new bill comes on top of the House Judiciary Committee’s antitrust hearings on Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google’s control of the Internet.
Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) said Congress must protect our values. He pointed out that market competition and free speech are both vital to American freedom. Unfortunately, big tech has little respect for that.
The New Bill Will Remove Big Tech’s Immunity for Censorship
The Republicans’ new bill would promote fair competition on the internet, big tech transparency and free speech. Right now, big tech is protected for removing “otherwise objectionable” content from their platforms. The ‘Stop the Censorship Act’ would set a new precedent. It would still give legal protections for removing material that promotes terrorism or violence or anything illegal, but it would hold big tech accountable for censoring Conservatives.
Silicon Valley companies have said the “otherwise objectionable” phrase gives a legal immunity from antitrust claims. The bill would ensure the protection doesn’t extend to those.
On top of that, the Republican legislation gives internet users the ability to decide which online content filters to use for themselves.
Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) said the internet has thrived because users can speak freely and exchange ideas. But he argues that companies like Google and Twitter have been hiding behind their immunity while abusing their users’ First Amendment rights.
Republicans agree it’s time to put a stop to big tech’s unlawful censorship by revoking their broad protections.
Political speech should be free speech. No one has the right to censor Conservative ideas, including big tech. The new Republican bill is a step in the right direction.
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