During a time of unrest in America, Trump decided to go after social media companies after he had a problem with Twitter fact-checking a few of his tweets.
He signed an executive order Thursday, cracking down on “censorship” by social media platforms, in a move that was widely seen by critics as retaliation for Twitter’s decision to put fact-checking labels on his tweets.
The executive order targets companies granted liability protection through the Communications Decency Act, according to CNBC. Donnie is essentially threatening to take away that protection, which basically prevents social media companies from being sued for much of the content posted by others using their sites.
“I’m signing an executive order to protect and uphold the free speech and rights of the American people,” Trump said. “Currently social media giants like Twitter receive an unprecedented liability shield based on the theory that they’re a neutral platform, which they are not.”
Trump’s tweets from a few days ago prompted Twitter, for the first time, to add warning links that invited readers to “get the facts,” after Donnie made claims about mail-in voting being fraudulent.
Without congressional action, however, there are limits to what Trump can do with the executive order, but he did say that he intends to pursue legislation in addition to the order.
Attorney General William Barr said the Justice Department would seek to sue social media companies, saying the statute “has been stretched way beyond its original intention.
The order would push the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to set new rules on some websites’ protections under the statute. It would also encourage the Federal Trade Commission to take action against companies that engage in “deceptive” acts of communication.
While Barr said Trump’s order does not repeal Section 230, Trump added shortly after: “One of the things we may do … is remove or totally change (Section) 230.”
We’ll keep you posted on any updates.
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