Paula Lugones
05/28/2020 - 18:03
- Clarín.com
- World
The President of the United States , Donald Trump , signed this Thursday an executive order that opens the door to a possible cataract of lawsuits against Twitter, Facebook and other technological giants, in a new step in the war that he has launched against social networks, an important weapon in your electoral campaign . He accused them of having "unchecked power to censor, restrict, mold, hide, alter virtually any form of communication."
The president confirmed to reporters at the White House that he had signed it, but the text was not yet released . Trump, who was accompanied by Attorney General William Barr, said: "We are here to defend press freedom from one of the greatest dangers facing American history," he said and accused social media companies of having a "power without checking to censor, restrict, mold, hide, alter virtually any form of communication between private citizens or large public audiences."
He said that "a small and powerful social media monopoly controls a vast population of public and private communications in the United States and we know who they are, we don't have to name them, we are going to give them a complete list."
In addition, he noted that Twitter makes "editorial decisions" and that it is no longer a "neutral platform" but an editor "with a point of view" and that it has "political activism". And that the same can be said for Facebook, Google and others.
"Imagine if your phone company muted or edited your conversations. The companies have much more power and more reach than any phone company in the United States," he added.
The decree is a new step in the president's war against social media, but especially against Twitter. Trump had hinted Wednesday night that he was going to take some action with a tweet: "Big tech companies are doing everything in their power to PRE-CENSOR the 2020 election," he wrote. “If this happens, we will no longer have our freedom. I will never let this happen! They tried in 2016 and did not lose. Now they are going absolutely CRAZY. Pay attention!"
The Bloomberg agency released a draft of the executive order that Trump would announce. According to what the document states, the initiative could bring a barrage of lawsuits on social media companies because it lifts certain government protections that these companies have regarding user posts.
This kind of legal shield is applied based on the alleged "good faith" that companies have to eliminate or limit the visibility of certain tweets, videos or posts on social networks. But the expression "good faith" is not defined by the regulations. The draft would then order the Federal Communications Commission to define that expression, which could open legal gaps so that thousands of users can start lawsuits.
According to The New York Times, "The decree, which officials said was still being drafted and subject to change, would make it easier for federal regulators to argue that companies like Facebook, Google, YouTube and Twitter are suppressing freedom of expression when they mobilize. to suspend users or delete posts, among other examples. "
The decree, according to Bloomberg, also notes that the president will create, through the Justice Department, a working group made up of state Justice Ministers to examine deceptive practices and review government spending on ads on those platforms.
The decree can open a huge legal battle between Washington and Silicon Valley.
n the last few hours Trump has fiercely confronted Twitter ./ AFP
In recent hours, Trump has fiercely confronted Twitter because this company placed a tag on one of his tweets to warn followers that he should check presidential information, hinting that it could be false or biased .
It was a vote-by-mail tweet, which Trump directly pointed to as "fraudulent." The data, false by the way, is not less because it is estimated that many people will vote that way in November, for fear of contagion from the coronavirus.
The Twitter account of the head of the White House, which with 52,000 tweets issued has more than 80 million followers , is a fundamental weapon for its owner, especially in the electoral campaign, because from that platform it has a direct connection with its voters , attack their rivals, raise issues and debates, magnify their achievements, cast conspiracy theories, and also retweet compliments and memes from their supporters.
Social media has always been important to Trump, but it has become a fundamental tool in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, when campaign events have been suspended and he seeks to have a clear path to attack his rival Joe Biden who does not usually be so active on those platforms
Washington, correspondent