Why Big Tech and Conservatives Are Clashing on Free Speech

When Twitter banned President Donald Trump after a mob he had encouraged stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, the White House fell into an unusual social media silence. But the company’s move, followed by actions by Facebook, Apple, Google and Amazon to cut off individual users or social media platforms they saw as inciting violence, turned a long-simmering feud with conservatives into a full-throated battle. Trump supporters complained their free speech rights were being curtailed, but many liberals applauded what they saw as overdue steps to limit misinformation and prevent bloodshed.

Some individual users on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook are being blocked, the most high-profile, of course, being Trump’s @realdonaldtrump Twitter handle, with 88 million followers. Trump was permanently banned on Jan. 8, “due to the risk of further incitement of violence,” according to the company. Facebook (and Instagram, which it owns) have suspended Trump until at least the Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, arguing Trump intended to use his time left in office to undermine the peaceful transition of power. Other tech companies also took action.