Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) is leading a group of anti-First Amendment Democrats demanding Elon Musk start censoring American users on his social media platform Twitter/X.
Schiff sent a letter to Musk that was signed by over 25 congressional Democrats.
In the letter, Schiff et all insist Musk and X are both allowing and profiting from the dissemination of false and violent content.
A group of over 25 Democratic members of Congress have raised allegations against X, once again ignoring the First Amendment and calling for online censorship.
They assert that the company is both allowing and profiting from the dissemination of false and violent content, particularly regarding the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
On Tuesday, these lawmakers addressed a letter to Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X, and Elon Musk, its owner.
The letter was signed by notable Democrat members of Congress, including:
- Dan Goldman
- Jamie Raskin
- Jerry Nadler
- Bennie Thompson
- Katie Porter
- Adam Schiff
Elon Musk has been amplifying antisemitic content, profiting from misinformation, and allowing pro-Hamas propaganda to spread on X.
This needs to stop.
I've joined @RepDanGoldman and @RepRaskin in demanding accountability from X.
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) November 21, 2023
The Democrats claim they are concerned over X’s alleged negligence in enforcing its policies against the spread of so-called “misinformation”
They are also accusing X of promoting violence, hate, and terrorism.
The letter specifically points out the drastic reduction in X’s content moderation staff over the past year.
It continues by suggesting that the company has deliberately allowed and even benefited from the illegal circulation of terrorist propaganda.
According to the Democrat lawmakers, this alleged conduct is inappropriate for a platform as globally influential as X.
Further, the letter highlights reports from the Tech Transparency Project and the Institute for Strategic Dialogue.
“We are demanding that you uphold your public commitments and enforce your policies,” the letter states.
“Accordingly, no later than December 1, 2023, we request that you provide all forms of written communications, including email, text messages, other messaging services, or X direct messages, relating to content moderation for any posts or accounts associated with, related to, or connected to Hamas.”
The lawmakers underscore that X Premium, a subscription service offering features like prioritized ranking in conversations and searches, might be indirectly facilitating the profit from the spread of such content.
They note that X gains financially from subscription fees and ad revenue generated from these accounts.
However, Musk recently announced that all X revenue from ads and subscriptions on content regarding the conflict will be donated to charities in the impacted region.
“X Corp will be donating all revenue from advertising & subscriptions associated with the war in Gaza to hospitals in Israel and the Red Cross/Crescent in Gaza,” Musk said.
X Corp will be donating all revenue from advertising & subscriptions associated with the war in Gaza to hospitals in Israel and the Red Cross/Crescent in Gaza
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 21, 2023
Additionally, the letter accuses X of profiting from subscribers who spread “misinformation” about the Israel-Hamas war.
Further, this month, Reps Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Don Bacon (R-NE) introduced a bill aimed at countering the uptick of alleged false information disseminated on TikTok and other online platforms amid the recent Israel-Hamas conflict.
During a media briefing, Gottheimer clarified:
“This legislation will require social media companies to release detailed reports of violations to their terms and services and how they’re addressing these violations, which includes using their platforms for terrorist purposes…
“It also requires the intelligence community to provide a threat assessment about what’s happening on social media.”
The proposed law is titled the “Stopping Terrorists’ Online Presence and Holding Accountable Tech Entities Act” or the “Stop Hate Act.”
The act incorporates a $5 million daily penalty for any social media enterprise non-compliant with the proposed bill’s conditions.
The Stop Hate Act is vocally supported by the ADL.
New York’s Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul signed similar legislation in 2022.
However, a judge denounced Hochul’s legislation as a violation of the First Amendment.
