- Content: 
Germany, France Call Out Big Tech’s Attack on Free Speech After Trump’s Media Ban
By Movieguide® Staff
As big tech censorship magnifies in the wake of the riots at Capitol Hill—with President Donald Trump banned from Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram—Germany and France ridiculed Twitter Inc. and Facebook Inc. for their attack on free speech.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel noted the dangerous precedent that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to shut down an entire account could have on free speech, not just in the United States, but also in Europe. Merkel said that the final say regarding free speech should lie with lawmakers and not private technology companies.
“The chancellor sees the complete closing down of the account of an elected president as problematic,” Steffen Seibert, Merkel’s chief spokesman, said in Berlin.
The chancellor feels that rights like the freedom of speech “can be interfered with, but by law and within the framework defined by the legislature — not according to a corporate decision.”
The French government echoed Merkel’s worries. Junior Minister for European Union Affairs Clement Beaune said that he was “shocked” at the ease with which a private company made such an important decision.
“This should be decided by citizens, not by a CEO,” Beaune told Bloomberg TV. “There needs to be public regulation of big online platforms.”
Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire added that the decision should be left in the hands of the state and not “the digital oligarchy.”
Le Maire also called big tech “one of the threats” to democracy.
While big tech companies have come under pressure from lawmakers, civil rights advocates, and even their employees in the past, their decision to ban President Donald Trump and other conservative voices shows how much power and responsibility they truly command.
Movieguide® previously reported:
The issue here is not that any of us have actually violated these tech company’s vague community standards … it’s that big tech is reaching, stretching as hard as they can, to treat us as if we have.
Why?
Because they’re actively engaged in suppressing any view that doesn’t fall in lockstep with their own.
If this doesn’t frighten you, it should.
These companies have incredible power to not only influence culture, but to bend truth. They’ve already begun their attacks on us and many other faith-based companies. Some of us are able to fight back, many are not. That’s why we need our audiences to understand the threat, not only to us as a ministry, but to the future of free access to information, and the future of our country!
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
- Content: +3Share:
- Content: +1