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President Trump signed an executive order taking action against social media companies Thursday

PHOTO CREDITS: EVAN VUCCI/AP

On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order taking action against social media companies. According to a leaked draft, the order is primarily pushing for federal regulators, namely the FCC and FTC, to amend Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which allows social media companies to regulate the content posted to their websites (Business Insider). Section 230 also stipulates that these companies are not liable for the content posted on their platforms. This revision would make social media companies lose their Section 230 protections if they do not meet certain guidelines. The President claims that this order is necessary for preserving free speech and protecting Republicans from the censoring of conservative voices on social media websites. ~

This order came as a response to Twitter flagging a pair of the President’s tweets earlier this week. In these tweets, the President claimed that mail-in ballots in states such as California would be “fraudulent” and would lead to a “rigged election.” In response, Twitter flagged both of the tweets, claiming that the President’s claims are unsubstantiated. While these measures were put in place by the company to prevent the spread of misinformation, President Trump claims that the company is “interfering in the 2020 Presidential election.” The President believes that this is another example of social media corporations showing a bias against conservatives. ~

Currently, it is unclear whether or not the FTC and FCC will enact the President’s orders, as they operate independently of the President’s cabinet. Many legal experts claim that the order may be outside of the President’s legal authority. Historically, the FCC has never had the power to enforce Section 230. Moments after the executive order was signed Thursday, President Trump tweeted, “This will be a Big Day for Social Media and FAIRNESS!” ~

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Brent J. Smith

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