On Thursday’s broadcast of the Fox Business Network’s “Evening Edit,” Michael Shellenberger, one of the reporters of the Twitter files, stated that it’s dangerous for members of Congress to demand censorship on social media platforms, especially since Congress has the regulatory power to control whether these platforms operate. Shellenberger also argued that censoring political candidates on social media is potential election interference and stated that Democrats probably won’t want the accounts of their political candidates suppressed.
Shellenberger said, “I think the ultimate solution is they need to have transparency about how they’re making these content moderation decisions as a condition of having the special privileges afforded to them by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which is what creates their financial viability as a business.”
Later, Shellenberger stated, “[T]he response from a congressperson to want to censor…I think, is chilling and disturbing when you consider that it’s Congress that has the power that gives these social media companies their license to operate. If they’re going to be demanding anything, it should be greater transparency, not greater censorship.”
He added, “Censoring politicians, that’s interfering in elections, potentially. That’s a very serious issue. And I think progressives and Democrats, when they think about it, are not going to want to have those policies directed against their candidates either.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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