In the wake of the Capitol riot, seemingly every social media platform has taken it upon themselves to censor, silence and even ban conservative voices.
After Big Tech honchos got rid of President Trump for good, several other conservative media personas reported an egregious loss in followers, some even were shut out completely.
As a result, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced he will begin an investigation into the content moderation policies of several Silicon Valley tech companies.
Paxton’s office demanded big tech giants such as Facebook, Twitter, Apple, Amazon and Google provide information relating to their censorship of conservative speech as well as the termination of Parler from their platforms, the Daily Caller reports.
“For years, these Big Tech companies have silenced voices in the social media sphere and shut down competing companies and platforms,” Paxton said in a press release Thursday. “It has only grown worse in recent months. And just last week, this discriminatory action included the unprecedented step of removing and blocking President Donald Trump from online media platforms.”
Paxton blasted Twitter’s decision to ban the president and raised questions over whether the crackdown violates the First Amendment.
“First Amendment rights and transparency must be maintained for a free online community to operate and thrive,” he said. “However, the seemingly coordinated de-platforming of the President of the United States and several leading voices not only chills free speech, it wholly silences those whose speech and political beliefs do not align with leaders of Big Tech companies. Every American should be concerned about this large-scale silencing and the effects it will have on the future of free speech,” Paxton said.
Paxton's point is well taken by both conservatives and even some liberals who have expressed concern since the Big Tech censorship began.
Paxton urged he will use civil investigative demands, a legal evidentiary tool, to compel these companies to produce documents outlining their policies so the state may determine whether intentional discrimination took place, according to the Daily Caller.
“The public deserves the truth about how these companies moderate and possibly eliminate speech they disagree with. I am hopeful that these companies will set aside partisan politics and cooperate with these [civil investigative demands] in order to get to the bottom of this contention and ensure a truly free online community consistent with the highest American ideals,” Paxton urged.
It is imperative that every American be given the opportunity to freely express their ideas.
It’s one of the most fundamental rights provided to us through the Constitution.
