Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, and Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter, were summoned by the Senate once again in defense of their Section 230 protections which prevents the social media giants from liability for the content produced by its users.
They rehashed much of what was discussed during the previous hearing regarding the censorship of a certain otherwise viral NY Post article about Hunter Biden.
But once again, no conclusions were made as to what should be done about the censorship of conservative voices on their platforms.
Yes, Senator Marsha Blackburn lit a candle under Zuckerberg for Facebook’s “election stickers” being plastered everywhere conservatives show support for President Donald Trump. But no, Americans are still left to decide whether they’ll continue using the platform or hop over to Parler and MeWe to exercise their freedom of speech.
To be frank, Americans are tired of hearings. Like a dog and pony show, many of us feel as though these hearings are all bark and no bite. It’s almost as if Congress isn’t sure what to do about it. Lawmakers can get raise Cain all they want for the camera, but they can spare us the political theatre if it’s going to end with business as usual.
As for Facebook and Twitter, it’s time we address what their users deserve. If Zuckerberg and Dorsey want to keep their Section 230 protections, they can start by stopping their all-out proverbial assault on conservative voices. Or how about a return to the virtual town square that they promised to be? Maybe they could enforce their policies fairly — if a conservative says something that goes against the Terms of Service, then the same should go for a liberal. Even better, maybe they leave censorship up to the users themselves. We know what our eyes should see.
Perhaps these changes will stop the bleeding, as users flock to alternative platforms just as they did MySpace in the late 2000s. But for many people, it could already be too late. But if we go through yet another hearing with no solution at the end of it, we can guarantee that this is a problem no one wants to solve.
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