Claim That Twitter, Other Tech Giants Censor Conservative Views Dismissed By Appeals Court

TOPLINE

A federal appeals court has rejected a lawsuit that claimed Twitter, Facebook, Google and Apple conspire to suppress conservative viewpoints, as President Donald Trump has engaged in a war of words against Twitter after it tagged two of his tweets with links to fact checks.

KEY FACTS

KEY BACKGROUND

Trump’s feud with Silicon Valley has ratcheted up over the past days after Twitter
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for the first time ever fact-checked two of the president’s tweets, providing a link to refute his claims.

Trump reacted strongly in an early morning tweet Wednesday, saying—on Twitter—that the government may need to “strongly regulate” social media platforms or even “close them down.”

CRITICAL QUOTE

“Republicans feel that Social Media Platforms totally silence conservative voices,” the president tweeted Wednesday.

TANGENT

A recent report by NBC News claims that at least one tech giant has actually changed its internal structure to avoid offending conservatives.

Citing several current and former employees, NBC News said that Google
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has gutted its diversity and inclusion programs over the past few years, in an effort not to seem anti-conservative.

FURTHER READING

Appeals court rejects claims that Facebook, Twitter suppress conservative views (The Hill)

Twitter Fact-Checks President Trump For The First Time (Forbes)

‘Close Them Down’: Trump Threatens To Shut Down Social Media Platforms (Forbes)