World
US President Donald Trump Hits Back On Social Media Firms For Silencing Millions Of Voices
Trump blames social media giants of silencing millions of voices in an act of censorship
US President Donald Trump has once again hit back on social media giants blaming them for silencing millions of people all around the world in an act of censorship, but without citing any evidence to support his claim.
“Social Media Giants are silencing millions of people. Can’t do this even if it means we must continue to hear Fake News like CNN, whose ratings have suffered gravely. People have to figure out what is real, and what is not, without censorship!” Trump noted on Twitter on Friday, without mentioning any name.
Trump also criticized social media outlets in his tweets last week claiming that unidentified companies were discriminating against Republican/Conservative voices, pledging that his administration won’t allow that to happen.
“Social Media is totally discriminating against Republican/Conservative voices. Speaking loudly and clearly for the Trump Administration, we won’t let that happen. They are closing down the opinions of many people on the RIGHT, while at the same time doing nothing to others,” he wrote.
Furthermore, in an interview with Reuters on Monday, the US President said it was very dangerous for social media giants like Facebook and Twitter to silence people’s voice on their services.
The tweet followed action taken by tech giants Facebook, Apple, YouTube and Spotify removed content posted by far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones from their sites. Jones’ official Twitter account was also temporarily ceased on Aug. 15.
Earlier this week, Facebook, Twitter, and Google also took important measures to counter phishing and misinformation. While Facebook and Twitter suspended hundreds of users and accounts engaged in coordinated manipulation, linked with Iran and Russia, Google has also removed 58 accounts believed to be tied to Iran’s state broadcaster, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).
The pressure on social media companies to curb the spread of misleading information has increased manifolds after the US intelligence agencies found that Russia tried to influence the 2016 presidential election using social media campaigns.
