Florida, International | August 16, 2021
Trump barred from Twitter, but Taliban spokesman tweets away
Florida, International | August 16, 2021
. . Twitter’s standards were called into question on Sunday after users pointed out that a key Taliban spokesman has been using the platform to give updates about the group’s advance within the country while former President Trump’s account remains permanently suspended. Zabihullah Mujahid’s account is not verified but has nearly 280,000 followers and is regularly cited by major news outlets. He recently tweeted an update on “military units” entering Kabul. He wrote that their “advance is continuing normally.” Jerome Riviere, the French politician, took to Twitter and posted: “Freedom and democracy are not doing well when #Twitter continues to ban #Trump’s account but relays the #Taliban spokesperson’s without any second thoughts.”… (Excerpts from Fox News)
Florida | July 9, 2021
Why I’m Suing Big Tech
Florida | July 9, 2021
Donald J. Trump: Why I’m Suing Big Tech
One of the gravest threats to our democracy today is a powerful group of Big Tech corporations that have teamed up with government to censor the free speech of the American people. This is not only wrong—it is unconstitutional. To restore free speech for myself and for every American, I am suing Big Tech to stop it.
Social media has become as central to free speech as town meeting halls, newspapers and television networks were in prior generations. The internet is the new public square. In recent years, however, Big Tech platforms have become increasingly brazen and shameless in censoring and discriminating against ideas, information and people on social media—banning users, deplatforming organizations, and aggressively blocking the free flow of information on which our democracy depends.
No longer are Big Tech giants simply removing specific threats of violence. They are manipulating and controlling the political debate itself. Consider content that was censored in the past year. Big Tech companies banned users from their platforms for publishing evidence that showed the coronavirus emerged from a Chinese lab, which even the corporate media now admits may be true. In the middle of a pandemic, Big Tech censored physicians from discussing potential treatments such as hydroxychloroquine, which studies have now shown does work to relieve symptoms of Covid-19. In the weeks before a presidential election, the platforms banned the New York Post—America’s oldest newspaper—for publishing a story critical of Joe Biden’s family, a story the Biden campaign did not even dispute….
(Excerpts from the Wall Street Journal)
Florida | June 25, 2021
Trump Announces 2nd Rally Since Departing White House
Florida | June 25, 2021
Former President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he will be holding a “Save America” rally in Sarasota, Florida, over the July 4th weekend.
The “Save America” rally, also billed as a “45 Fest,” will be held on July 3 at the Sarasota Fairgrounds, and is co-sponsored by the Republican Party of Florida, according to a statement from his office. It will be the former president’s second rally since leaving the White House in January and is in “further support of the MAGA agenda and accomplishments of his administration,” the statement says.
Live music and special guest speakers will feature at the event, with a “HUGE fireworks show to celebrate America following President Trump’s remarks to conclude a full day event commemorating our Great Country,” the statement adds.
Doors open at 2 p.m., and the former president is expected to speak at 8 p.m….
(Excerpts from the Epoch Times)
Florida | May 24, 2021
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs bill stopping social media from banning politicians
Florida | May 24, 2021
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an anti-Big Tech bill on Monday that would stop social media companies from kicking users off their platforms and prevent online censorship.
The legislation, which the Republican called “Florida’s Big Tech Bill,” would make it illegal to ban state political candidates from Facebook and Twitter and would dole out penalties of $250,000 a day on social media companies for any statewide candidate who is removed from a platform. De-platforming more local candidates would incur a fee of $25,000 a day.
The bill also forces social media giants to give users notice seven days before they are likely to be banned and give them a chance to change their behavior and resolve the issue on the platform. The bill passed the Republican-led Florida state Legislature in April.
James O’Keefe, a conservative activist and the founder of Project Veritas, was behind DeSantis when he announced the social media bill signing on Monday. O’Keefe recently sued Twitter for defamation, claiming that the social media giant falsely accused him of creating fake accounts in order to justify banning him from the platform.
Lawmakers in Texas, Arizona, and North Dakota have also introduced bills that mandate greater transparency regarding content moderation and prevent social media platforms from canceling conservative speech….
(Excerpts from Washington Examiner)
Florida | April 8, 2021
YouTube Pulls Video Of Governor DeSantis
Florida | April 8, 2021
YouTube pulled a video of a discussion between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and four medical experts, including one former White House adviser, because the experts questioned the efficacy of masks for children.
YouTube pulled the video on Wednesday and replaced it with a message saying, “this video has been removed for violating YouTube’s Community Guidelines,” as well as a link to the platform’s guidelines. The video and transcript of the deleted post may be viewed in their entirety at the American Institute for Economic Research.
Last month, DeSantis held a roundtable discussion with Harvard University professor Dr. Martin Kulldorff, Oxford University epidemiologist Dr. Sunetra Gupta, Stanford University physician and epidemiologist Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, and Stanford professor Dr. Scott Atlas. DeSantis moderated a discussion evaluating the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
YouTube pulled the video, originally posted by AIER, over the experts’ claims made about the efficacy of children wearing masks in schools to combat COVID-19.
(Excerpts from Daily Wire)