Trump Takes Aim at Social Media ‘Censorship’ With Executive Order
In the first hours of President Donald Trump’s second term, he focuses on social media executive order Focusing on what he calls “government censorship.”
The executive order states that no federal department or employee may use government resources to restrict the free speech of U.S. citizens.
Notably, it is also backward-looking, directing the attorney general and federal agency heads to investigate conduct that occurred during the four years of the Biden administration that ended Monday. It claimed the government violated citizens’ freedom of expression “under the guise of combating ‘misinformation,’ ‘disinformation,’ and ‘malicious information.'”
The Biden administration “has exerted significant coercive pressure on third parties, such as social media companies, to moderate, de-platform or otherwise suppress speech that the federal government does not approve,” the order said.
July, U.S. Supreme Court ruling Supporting the Biden administration in cases alleging excessive contacts with social media companies.
Worry misinformation The 2016 election season, the pandemic that began in 2020, and the election cycle that year saw a surge in online disinformation on topics such as voting procedures, foreign interference in U.S. affairs, hate speech, and vaccinations. Social media companies have implemented a series of policies in an attempt to suppress post This may threaten public safety and public health.
Trump himself has pause Information from social media sites over time includes twitter (now X) and Facebook After the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The new order does not address the issue of misinformation and disinformation that could cause real-world harm or pose potential risks to the country. Additionally, it is unclear how the order might affect U.S. agencies tasked with monitoring online activity to prevent potential threats to the upcoming election.
Tech executives increasingly agree with government overreach and pressure to regulate content on their platforms. Earlier this month, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Turn off third-party fact-checking programs On Instagram and Facebook, replace this with a user-driven moderation system called “Community Comments,” similar to X.
