The GOP has talked long enough about the problem of censorship. It’s time to act.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday heard oral arguments in Gonzalez v. Google, the first time the justices have heard a case involving Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Whichever way the court rules, Congress will likely respond by looking to amend the law, which will be overseen by the House Commerce Committee led by Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wa.). Conservatives concerned about Big Tech censorship should worry about McMorris Rodgers’ power over the matter.
The first prominent Republicans to address Big Tech censorship were Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.). Cruz in April 2018 asked Mark Zuckerberg why Facebook should have protections as a neutral conduit under Section 230 when the company censors Americans based on their constitutionally protected speech. In June 2019, Hawley introduced the Ending Support for Internet Censorship Act, which would have required viewpoint neutrality for dominant platforms that receive Section 230 immunity. Section 230 explicitly is premised on the idea that the platforms “offer a forum for a true diversity of political discourse.” The platforms clearly don’t provide that kind of forum.
McMorris Rodgers rebuked her Republican colleagues over their solution to censorship.
McMorris Rodgers delivered a speech at a hearing on Section 230 in October 2019. She criticized “colleagues on my side of the aisle” (undoubtedly referring to Cruz and Hawley) for wanting “a big government mandate to dictate free speech or ensure fairness online.”
Current republicans have demonstrated to us that they can not be relied on to stay up for anything.