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The timing on this simply could not have been better. Yesterday, I co-sponsored a bill called “Stop the Censorship Act of 2020.” This is in response to the SELECTIVELY APPLIED censorship, “shadow banning” and account suspensions from many of these social media companies. It’s gotten out of control.

Since Monday, I’ve had numerous interviews on this important topic following what happened to Stella Immanuel. She’s the doctor who was trying to explain what she’s done in her medical practice treating coronavirus patients. Her phrasing wasn’t the best, for sure, but the efforts to “cancel” her and eliminate her comments from every corner of social media has been RIDICULOUS. (Click here to read the full story if you missed it earlier.)

Anyway, this new legislation makes an adjustment to an existing law called the Communications Decency Act. As currently written, that law provides immunity for media companies who remove user-provided content that they deem to be “obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, excessively violent, harassing, or otherwise objectionable...”

The first six in that list are obviously reasonable. But does anyone see the problem with the phrase “otherwise objectionable”? Objectionable to whom?! And by what standard?!

Objectionable is defined as “undesirable or offensive” according to Merriam-Webster. It’s not more precisely defined in the law, which means anonymous censors at these social media companies get to set that benchmark, and remove content that’s not to their liking. It’s NOT difficult to find example after example of double-standards and the selective use of this authority. And I’m tired of it!

If they want to flag or put disclaimers on things they feel may be objectionable, then fine! But unless something is obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, excessively violent, or harassing (as the law is written), it’s not okay to silence someone’s voice!!

The bill I co-sponsored yesterday will revoke immunity for the removal of "otherwise objectionable" content and replace it with immunity for the removal of content that is "unlawful, or that promotes violence or terrorism."

There are many people who rely on social media platforms for their news & information, and adults should be capable of deciding for themselves what is worth hearing. This bill will help reduce inappropriate censorship, which I think most of us fully support.