The Hill ^ | 08/07/19 |
The White House is reportedly exploring potential executive action President Trump could take to address his and other Republicans' allegations of anti-conservative bias among social media companies.
Politico reported Wednesday that the White House has circulated a draft proposal, though it is unclear what exactly the order would do or how it would target tech companies. One source told the outlet that the details of the proposal remain in flux.
"If the internet is going to be presented as this egalitarian platform and most of Twitter is liberal cesspools of venom, then at least the president wants some fairness in the system," a White House official told the outlet. "But look, we also think that social media plays a vital role. They have a vital role and an increasing responsibility to the culture that has helped make them so profitable and so prominent."
Two other unidentified sources confirmed the existence of a draft order to Politico.
A White House spokesman told The Hill that the administration is looking at "all policy solutions."
“The President announced at this month’s social media summit that we were going to address this and the administration is exploring all policy solutions,” the spokesman said in an email.
Trump convened a summit of right-leaning social media personalities in July to complain about internet platforms’ alleged bias against conservatives, a suspicion echoed by other Republican figures.
Social media companies such as Facebook, Google and Twitter have all denied that they discriminate against users based on their political ideologies.
But at last month’s White House summit, Trump vowed that his administration would explore “regulatory and legislative solutions” to any infringements on online political speech.
“We have terrible bias. We have censorship like nobody has any understanding or nobody can believe,” he said.
The White House is reportedly exploring potential executive action President Trump could take to address his and other Republicans' allegations of anti-conservative bias among social media companies.
Politico reported Wednesday that the White House has circulated a draft proposal, though it is unclear what exactly the order would do or how it would target tech companies. One source told the outlet that the details of the proposal remain in flux.
"If the internet is going to be presented as this egalitarian platform and most of Twitter is liberal cesspools of venom, then at least the president wants some fairness in the system," a White House official told the outlet. "But look, we also think that social media plays a vital role. They have a vital role and an increasing responsibility to the culture that has helped make them so profitable and so prominent."
Two other unidentified sources confirmed the existence of a draft order to Politico.
A White House spokesman told The Hill that the administration is looking at "all policy solutions."
“The President announced at this month’s social media summit that we were going to address this and the administration is exploring all policy solutions,” the spokesman said in an email.
Trump convened a summit of right-leaning social media personalities in July to complain about internet platforms’ alleged bias against conservatives, a suspicion echoed by other Republican figures.
Social media companies such as Facebook, Google and Twitter have all denied that they discriminate against users based on their political ideologies.
But at last month’s White House summit, Trump vowed that his administration would explore “regulatory and legislative solutions” to any infringements on online political speech.
“We have terrible bias. We have censorship like nobody has any understanding or nobody can believe,” he said.
