Chicago Cubs Co-Owner Announces New Free Speech Search Engine, FREESPOKE
By Movieguide® Staff
Todd Ricketts, co-owner of Major League Baseball’s Chicago Cubs, announced the creation of a new search engine called FREESPOKE to combat Big Tech’s discriminatory speech policies.
Ricketts said that FREESPOKE would offer an alternative search engine to Google with the hopes of reigniting competition in the tech world.
“For years, I felt like the results I was getting from Google and other search engines were coming with a little bit of a bias, like a left-leaning bias,” Ricketts told Faithwire in a recent interview. “And I wasn’t getting results that I expected.
“Our country was built on free speech … this idea, ‘I don’t have to agree with what you say, but I’ll die defending your right to say it,'” he added. “Well, big tech has decided you don’t have a right to say that anymore.”
Aside from healthy competition, Ricketts said that FREESPOKE would pursue truth by allowing everyone’s voice to be heard.
“If someone questions your idea, you should chase it down and try to figure out who’s right and who’s wrong,” he said.
The recent big tech crackdown on COVID-19 misinformation became a big part of his motivation to create FREESPOKE.
“During COVID, doctors who questioned our COVID protocols … had their videos taken off YouTube,” he explained. “Anybody who questions the status quo gets canceled, and that’s not what America is about; we’re about free speech.
“It’s a little as scary …. and it’s dangerous when you get into a situation where … an administration and Democratic politicians along with the media, and along with big tech are trying to suppress the free flow of ideas,” Ricketts continued. “That’s not the United States of America; that looks something that’s more akin to like what you would expect in Russia or China.”
Although the problem of Big Tech overreach is not a new concern to concerned users, Ricketts said he wants to increase competition instead of merely regulating the most prominent companies.
“I’m… putting my money where my mouth is and building a search engine and saying, ‘I think that there’s demand for this out there,'” he explained. “I have a lot of faith and optimism in the American people, and I think, when the information is put in front of them squarely and clearly, they make good decisions.”
Unlike other pro-free speech platforms, FREESPOKE would implement a new labeling system that would classify news stories as “right,” “left,” or “center.”
“When you’re searching for information, [it helps you] know … who wrote that, where they’re coming from, and their point of view, and what they might have written before,” Ricketts said of the new feature. “It’s just trying to help people sort through all the information that’s out there, and, again, it’s all about coming to your own conclusions, finding the information, [and] educating yourself.
“Even if you disagree with someone, you shouldn’t be wanting to suppress their ideas because, if you’re willing to suppress someone else’s ideas, I can guarantee you that, someday, someone’s going to want to suppress yours,” he concluded.
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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.
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