The Million DollarTweet
The Trump administration issues executive order against the Social Media giants
In today’s day & age when human emotions reciprocated by social media & businesses run digital marketing through different social media marketing platforms, a leading powerhouse like the United States of America has issued an order against the leading social media giants like twitter, Facebook, etc.
What’s it all about?
The executive order says that online platforms are engaging in “selective censorship” and that Twitter’s labelling of Trump’s Tweets shows “political bias”.
“Online platforms are invoking inconsistent, irrational, and groundless justifications to censor or otherwise restrict Americans’ speech here at home, several online platforms are profiting from and promoting the aggression and disinformation spread by foreign governments like China,” the order mentions.
The so-called executive order could pave way for federal regulators to punish tech companies for how they moderate content.
The draft order centres on Section 230, a law that's 20 years old, which has helped define the way we all communicate on the internet.
Why so much uproar about Section 230?
Section 230 gave companies the go-ahead to launch every single technical intermediary that you depend upon for Internet communication.
Critics say Section 230 gives tech companies an excessive amount of power over what's and what not allowed on their sites.
Other Side of the Story
Supporters — including a good range of Internet companies, free-speech advocates and open-Internet proponents — say that without the law, online communication would stifle and social media, as we all know it, might cease to exist.
What made the Million Dollar man to drop the bombshell?
The move comes after twitter labelled two posts made by Trumpabout California’s vote-by-mail plans as fact-checked. As a part of its newpolicy undertaken amid the pandemic, the platform has introduced labels and warning messages that aim to supply “additional context and information” on Tweets containing disputed, misleading or unverified claims associated with the pandemic.
Section 230 allows tech companies to go away up just about any posts that others make. It also gives those companies’s broad ownership of what they plan to remove from the sites, as long because the companies follow two rules.
It’s this part of the supply that has been in the spotlight recently as President Trump accused the social media sites of censoring conservative voices. Trump has claimed the sites favour liberal voices and try to “silence” conservatives, though his own massive and growing Twitter following suggests otherwise.
Twitter responds
Twitter has responded to President Trump’s executive order saying it as "a reactionary and politicized approach to a landmark law."
“This Executive Order is a reactionary and politicized approach to a landmark law.
Section 230 protects American innovation and freedom of expression, and it’s underpinned by democratic values.
Attempts to suppress it threatens the future of online speech and Internet freedoms.” - Twitter Public Policy
Reactions from around the corners
A Google spokeswoman said the order would harm “America’s economy,” while a Facebook spokesman said it would “encourage platforms to censor anything that might offend anyone.”
The Way forward
The way forward is for both parties to find an amicable solution so they can agree upon the terms & conditions & respect policies made by the government.
As they will hold the US general elections on November 2020, it would only be wiser for the Trump administration to befriend these social media giants as it’s a huge platform to promote during the election campaign.
It’s equally important for social media giants like Twitter & Facebook to abide by the law of the land.
