Image CreditFDRLST/Canva
A U.S. Federal Trade Commission standard is concerned that Big Tech companies may readily interpret a new 129-page statement as justifying the political censorship that has plagued their websites for years.
In its” A Look Behind the Scenes: Examining the Data Practices of Social Media and Video Streaming Services” report published last week, the FTC suggests Amazon, Facebook, Google’s YouTube, Twitter, Snap, ByteDance ( TikTok’s parent company ), Discord, Reddit, and WhatsApp are guilty of participating in a “vast surveillance” operation.
The complete findings, first commissioned at the end of the Trump presidency in December 2020 but released under the Biden administration’s scope, determined this invasion of privacy has not only “harmed our economical environment” but even “affected the way we communicate and our well-being, especially the well-being of children and teens” by relying on algorithms that increase “harmful content”.
Commissioner Melissa Holyoak agreed that the results represent” a significant step forward” in the fight to protect American ‘ protection from the Big Tech companies that are eager to enter it in her Sept. 19 answer. She did however express “grave” worry that “it’s unclear exactly how the report’s research or recommendations may change free speech.”
The report specifically states that it” never addresses or endorses any attempt to delete or reasonable content based on political sights,” as Big Tech and the Biden administration were caught doing during the media’s worry over Covid-19.
However, Holyoak pointed out that the FTC’s repeated demands for “more strict testing and tracking requirements” without specifying what that means or what content it covers may increase the risk of infringement for Americans ‘ First Amendment rights.
” What these companies deem ‘ damaging,’ ‘ bias]ed],’ or ‘ erro]neous],’ and their view to such information, have considerable consequences”, Holyoak wrote.
Additionally, Holyoak noted that FTC Chair Lina Kahn is aware of how “dominant social media companies’ allow [a small number of professionals to ascertain whose opinions are amplified or silenced” and how “vulnerable to cooperation with — or cooptation — by the state. Even so, the statement Kahn approved “fails to take into account possible outcomes on free speech.”
The FTC claims the statement was designed to “inform decisions made by the people, politicians, and companies”. Holyoak, yet, said the FTC “is explicitly directing the private industry to agree with its tips”.
It is well known that what national authorities say can affect how social media companies respond to online comments, and that these companies follow federal officials ‘ orders, according to Holyoak. ” That is especially good here, given the Commission’s continued legal relationships with many of the largest social media companies”.
She also warned that” trust and security professionals,” who are often used as euphemistically as” trust and security professionals,” could use the FTC’s record to justify censoring rebel conversation.
No secret is that the FTC despises certain viewpoints that are posted on Big Tech social media. In July 2023, the agency, cheered on by corporate media,  , Democrats, and , X employees, weaponized itself against Elon Musk’s X for” seceding from the censorship complex”.
Even where the intention is not directly to suppress free speech, Holyoak said,” I am concerned that such suggestions and recommendations may further limit free speech online.”
The Federalist staff writer and host of The Federalist Radio Hour, Jordan Boyd. Her work has also been featured in The Daily Wire, Fox News, and RealClearPolitics. Jordanian received her bachelor’s degree from Baylor University, where she majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow her on X @jordanboydtx.
