“Who is going to be the unbiased arbiter of truth? I don’t think it exists,” Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) said, challenging the leftist narrative pushing for greater censorship of online speech.
Johnson criticized leftist witnesses who ignored social media bias in censorship or suggested that the bias favours the right during a Thursday Senate hearing. He also challenged the overwhelming narrative that government regulation is the answer to social media’s problems, saying, “Our first line of defense is with parents.”
The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held a hearing on Oct. 28, 2021 titled, “Social Media Platforms and the Amplification of Domestic Extremism & Other Harmful Content.” Witnesses who testified largely focused on “right-wing” users as instances of so-called extremist “misinformation.” Sen. Johnson pointed to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s alleged 2020 election interference as having caused harm.
Johnson further cited Google researcher Dr. Robert Epstein’s research indicating that Google may have skewed search results to favor Democrats. “It doesn’t seem to me that the impact or the intent of their manipulation of data, uh, would tend to favor conservative groups or conservative thought,” Johnson said. He ultimately asked those pushing for more regulation, “Who is going to regulate this? How is free speech different when it’s on a platform versus when it’s just spoken in the town hall?”
Mary Anne Franks (author of The Cult of the Constitution – Our Devotion Deadly to Guns and Freedom of Speech, advocated for increased censorship and alleged that “right-wing” extremist content is more amplified by social media than “left-wing” content. Franks also asserted that “[R]ight-wing content is more disproportionately associated with real world violence.” Johnson challenged the assertions, which, in fact, a recent Wall Street JournalReport appears to contradict. Johnson asked Franks if social media executives lean left or right. Franks did not answer directly, insisting, “I’m not sure that it’s relevant.”
Johnson pointed out that tech platforms are manipulating data and so-called extremist speech is putting democracy at risk. “Now, I’m certainly questioning the 230, Section 230 liability protections, when you have these platforms acting as publishers, which is what they are doing when they censor—primarily conservative thought. I’ve been censored myself, repeatedly,” Johnson stated. Senator Johnson asked who can regulate constitutional freedom of speech. Johnson concluded that social media favors the left over the right, and regulation may violate constitutional rights.
Big Tech may have interfered in the 2020 presidential election. An exclusive MRC-commissioned poll showed that over 50 percent of voters believe Big Tech engaged in “election interference” in the 2020 election. In Nov. 2020, another MRC-commissioned survey showed Big Tech censorship had skewed elections from a Trump win towards a Biden win.
Conservatives under attackYour representatives should be contacted to insist that Big Tech be held responsible for ensuring the First Amendment is mirrored and conservatives are treated equally. If you have been censored, contact us using CensorTrack’s Contact formHelp us to hold Big Tech responsible.
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