Last Thursday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill that prohibits large social media companies from blocking content or removing users because of their political views. In a video posted on Facebook, Abbott said, “There is a dangerous movement by some social media companies to silence conservative ideas and values.” Apparently, conservative ideas and values…
Most rights—such as the right to free speech and the right to practice one’s religion—enjoy widespread support among politicians and the citizenry. Few explicitly call for measures to restrict free speech or freedom of religion. The right to property, however, comes under widespread attacks from both Progressives and conservatives. As an example, Sen. Elizabeth Warren…
In 2019 during her campaign to become the Democrat nominee for President, Sen. Elizabeth Warren promised to use the antitrust laws to reverse “illegal and anti-competitive tech mergers.” As examples, she cited Amazon’s merger with Whole Foods, Facebook’s merger with Instagram, and Google’s merger with DoubleClick. “To restore the balance of power in our democracy,”…
For months, conservatives have been increasing their calls to use the antitrust laws against Big Tech. These calls are filled with contradictions, such as the claim that Facebook, Twitter, and other tech companies are endangering free speech by blocking conservative content. Another contradiction is expressed by Will Chamberlain, publisher of Human Events. Chamberlain writes that…
At The Objective Standard, Aaron Briley addresses the anti-American ideas underlying Black Lives Matter. Many seem to regard BLM as a humanitarian organization that fights on behalf of the downtrodden—as a nonviolent movement dedicated to protecting the rights of vulnerable citizens. However, this is not true. Founders and leaders of the organization advocate an ideology…
In 1949, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued the Fairness Doctrine. This policy required broadcasters to present controversial issues of interest to the public, and to present both sides of the issue in a manner that was fair and equitable. The policy was rescinded in 1987, and it ushered in conservative talk radio. Radio station owners…
Texas Senator Ted Cruz (among others) has been accusing “big tech” of censorship. On Fox Business, Cruz said, Big Tech has gotten really bad with censorship, manipulation, open political bias. Google is by far the worst. Google is naked and brazen. Big Tech is a monopoly. I think they’ve brazenly violated the anti-trust laws. It is…
Voltaire is widely credited with saying, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” This quote, whether Voltaire actually said it, is often cited by defenders of free speech. Those who write or speak popular ideas have little fear of government reprisal. But those who…
Senate Bill 2373 would allow the Texas Attorney General to sue social media companies for restricting users’ freedom of expression. Such restrictions are widely being called censorship. The truth is, no private entity can engage in censorship. It may ban the expression of certain ideas on its platform, but it cannot penalize individuals for expressing…
Over the past decade (and perhaps longer) there has been a trend for business owners to claim that a law violates their free speech rights. A recent example comes from Oregon, where the owner of a vape shop is claiming that regulations prohibiting him from describing the contents of the products that he sells violates his…
A lot of noise is being made about censorship on social media platforms such as Facebook, You Tube, and Twitter. Many are claiming that these companies are engaging in censorship when they remove or limit certain content. The truth is, no private company can engage in censorship. Censorship is a legal prohibition on the expression…