On Wednesday, two Arizona politicians reacted swiftly to the news that social media platforms, Twitter and Facebook were actively limiting the exposure of a New York Post article critical of Hunter Biden.
For whom the bell tolls?
I called this over a year ago. I have 2 bills pending to stop Tech censorship. I’ve written AG Barr/DOJ & FEC. Barr is worthless. Election interference, illegal campaign contributions, voter intimidation and Barr sleeps. The bell tolls for thee. https://t.co/kACZQkzQbS— Paul Gosar (@DrPaulGosar) October 15, 2020
Twitter & Facebook are working overtime today to CENSOR this article.
Who are they trying to protect?
What are they trying to influence?
Why are they preventing Americans from learning more about this alleged corruption that the Obama-Biden administration sought to suppress? pic.twitter.com/9TBgoCPgL7
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) October 14, 2020
President @realDonaldTrump was impeached because of hearsay upon hearsay of a call he had w/ a foreign leader – by Democrats who had promised for years to impeach him.
Not once did Twitter or Facebook censor any of the Democrats’ unfounded claims- even w/ their admitted agenda.
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) October 14, 2020
In July, Gosar introduced H.R. 7808 Stop the Censorship Act of 2020.
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (Section 230) affords Big Tech immunity from liability for third-party content. Section 230’s “Good Samaritan” provision provides immunity for the removal of users and content, and according to Gosar, “has been abused by Big Tech to censor competition and lawful speech.”
Gosar’s legislation would revoke immunity for the removal of competition and lawful speech, empowers users to protect themselves from objectionable material.
Gosar has argued that Section 230 “greatly contributed to the size and power of Big Tech.” According to Gosar, his legislation extends protections to online platforms for “any action taken to provide users with the option to restrict access to any other material,” empowering users to choose content filter options.
“Online platforms should not have special immunity to censor competition and lawful political speech,” said Gosar at the time he introduced the bill. “The broad and undue immunity for content and user removal granted by Section 230 must be reined in by Congress. We cannot continue to subsidize, deputize, or blackmail Silicon Valley to decide what is or isn’t an allowable conversation. Stop the Censorship Act of 2020 empowers users and limits Big Tech to the same rights and liabilities as everyone else.”
Gosar first introduced the Stop the Censorship Act on July 25, 2019. His Stop the Censorship Act of 2020 aligns with recent recommendations for Section 230 reform from the Justice Department.