Trump targets social media “censorship” with executive order

During the first hours of his second term in office, President Donald Trump focused his attention on social media with a message Executive order He focused on what he described as “government censorship.”

The executive order states that no federal department or employee may use government resources to restrict the freedom of expression of American citizens.

Notably, she is also looking back, directing the attorney general and heads of federal agencies to investigate conduct that occurred during the four years of the Biden administration that ended Monday. The report alleges that the government violated citizens’ freedom of expression “under the guise of combating ‘misinformation,’ ‘disinformation,’ and ‘misinformation.’

The order says the Biden administration exerted “significant coercive pressure on third parties, such as social media companies, to moderate, delete, or otherwise suppress speech that was not approved by the federal government.”

In July, The US Supreme Court ruled In favor of the Biden administration in a case alleging that it overreached in its communications with social media companies.

Concerns about Wrong information Online misinformation surged during the 2016 election season and again during the COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020 as well as that year’s election cycle, regarding topics including voting processes, foreign interference in U.S. affairs, hate speech, and vaccinations. Social media companies have implemented a number of policies that try Put out posts Which potentially threatens public safety and public health.

It was Trump himself hanging For a period of social networking sites, including twitter (now X) and Facebook After the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.

The new system does not address the issue of misinformation and disinformation that can cause real harm or the potential risks it poses to the country. Additionally, it remains unclear how the order could impact US agencies tasked with monitoring online activity for potential threats to the upcoming election.

Tech executives are increasingly aligning themselves with allegations of government overreach and pushing to moderate content on their platforms. Earlier this month, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, announced… Turn off third-party validation software on Instagram and Facebook, replacing it with a user-driven moderation system called Community Notes, similar to X.