Straight from the horse’s mouth, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, doesn’t filter its content based on the principles of the American First Amendment. Kenji Yoshino, an NYU Constitutional law professor and member of the Meta Oversight Board, dropped these bombshells recently. Did we not realize this? Sure, Meta is an American company, but no, it doesn’t rate our First Amendment as its gold standard.
Yoshino was candid when he stated that Meta’s foundation for free speech lies not on the U.S. Constitution but on international human rights norms. And why’s that? Apparently, the U.S., with its robust curtain of protection against censorship, is an “outlier” compared to other nations. For Meta, a global player, to stick solely to U.S. legal norms is not a viable option.
“We strike a balance,” says Yoshino, between the universal values such as “safety” and “dignity” and the U.S. Constitution. The tipping point of this balance, surprisingly or not, often does not favor our beloved First Amendment.
He took it further with his comparison of how the U.S. views free speech against the European perspective. The U.S. creed leans heavily on protecting even controversial speech, all in the name of expansion and security. Europe, somewhat differently, gives more weight to equality and dignity rather than unrestricted speech.
But it’s not all rosy across the pond. A number of European countries, including Scotland, France, and England, have proven European free speech isn’t absolute as they have legally defined and criminalized certain “hate speech”.
Transplanting European standards onto American soil? It smells suspiciously like the antithesis of our First Amendment rights, and can directly lead to censorship–something painfully problematic, as U.S. government agencies have reportedly begun to team up with tech companies.
In this minefield of complex issues, we—the conservatives—are continuously targeted. Urgent actions demand immediate attention: Call the Facebook headquarters at (650) 308-7300 and advocate for Big Tech to reflect the First Amendment in their operations, while providing clarity on “misinformation.” Also, demand level playing ground for conservatives. Have you been censored? Notify us through CensorTrack’s contact form. It’s time to make Big Tech answerable.
In a nutshell? The largest of the Big Tech corporations, an American company no less, doesn’t uphold the U.S Constitution’s First Amendment as its standard for free speech. As Yoshino points out, Meta, instead, defaults to international norms over American principles. Such bold statements compel us to bring Big Tech into accountability, to demand transparency, clear misinformation guidelines, and fair treatment for conservatives. We must not take this sitting down. It’s time to act, folks, Big Tech needs to answer us.
