An attorney who has dealt with social media censorship believes the American left has engaged in blatant censorship and has been guilty of “gross abuses of government power.”
“I want to take you back to the Biden administration,” Ryan Bangert, senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom, told CBN News earlier this year. “At the height of the COVID pandemic, the White House begins privately leaning on social media companies, including Meta, to take down messaging that contradicts the White House’s preferred line on COVID, including masks, including vaccinations, including stay at stay-at-home orders.”
He continued, “And there was a concerted campaign by individuals within the White House to force off of social media any messages, any voices that contradicted their party line.”
Bangert decried these issues and said they amounted to inappropriate censorship — an issue that points to government abuses that cannot be ignored.
“We have seen an effort by the left to engage in overt censorship of what they call disinformation, misinformation, and malformation for years,” he continued.
Bangert said recent political changes with the new administration has allowed some of these social media companies an opportunity to come around and recognize the diabolical elements unfolding at the hands of government.
“I think what you’re seeing is an opportunity for them to come around and recognize that, what was happening for the past four years, was completely at odds with the core values of the First Amendment that protects freedom of speech, freedom of thought, freedom of conscience,” Bangert said. “We’ve all been talking about this for years now. Social media really is the new public square, and it’s going to be the new public square. It needs to be a place where free discourse can happen.”
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He said that Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement earlier this year, stating the social media giant would take steps to “restore free expression” on its platforms, including Facebook, shows there are efforts to right the ship.
Still, Bangert warned the issue of censorship isn’t going anywhere, noting its prevalence continues to grow across the globe.
“Global censorship is still … real,” he said, adding that it’s a “growing problem around the globe.” “It’s not going to be ended or defeated simply by a few executive orders.”
He mentioned ADF clients who have faced ramifications for praying silently outside of abortion clinics, among other troubling signs. There’s also Finnish Member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen, who has faced a legal battle and potential jail time after sharing Bible verses promoting biblical marriage.
While these events aren’t happening in America today, Bangert warned people not to get too comfortable.
“Don’t say it can’t happen here,” he said. “And even though we’re seeing a new wind blowing here in the U.S., there’s always that risk. Things could revert back. So we’ve got to be vigilant.”
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