During a 2019 speech at the NAACP Fight for Freedom Dinner in Detroit, Michigan, Harris promised that, if given the power, she would hold social media companies responsible for spreading what she termed "misinformation" using the DOJ as a key tool.
The resurfacing of the said video on X, formerly Twitter, came amid a growing number of free speech advocates raising the alarm over what the vice president would do to censor social media platforms if she wins the election.
"We will hold social media platforms accountable for the hate infiltrating their platforms because they have a responsibility to help fight against this threat to our democracy," Harris said, emphasizing the DOJ's role in enforcing accountability. "We'll put the Department of Justice of the United States back in the business of justice. We will hold social media platforms accountable for the hate infiltrating their platforms because they have a responsibility to help fight against this threat to our democracy."
She told technocrats that she would double the Civil Rights Division and direct law enforcement to address the spread of extremist ideologies and misinformation. "If you profit off of hate, if you act as a megaphone for misinformation or cyber warfare, if you don't police your platforms we are going to hold you accountable as a community," Harris added.
Elon Musk, RFK Jr., and Tulsi Gabbard are raising concerns of free speech under Kamala Harris.
In 2019, Harris vowed to use the DOJ and law enforcement to 'hold social media platforms responsible' for 'misinformation' as part of the 'fight against this threat to our Democracy' pic.twitter.com/3XwD8lcoQb
— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) September 5, 2024
Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and other renowned personalities have raised concerns about the implications of this stance as they argued that Harris' proposed policies could create a chilling effect on public discourse which is typically seen in authoritarian regimes.
Musk has been vocal about the risks to free speech posed by government interference in social media platforms. "The question of who decides what counts as misinformation is critical," he said during a public forum. "It can easily turn into a tool for silencing opposition, which undermines democracy rather than protecting it."
Meanwhile, Zuckerberg has recently revealed that Meta, his Big Tech platform, has acted to remove content the government asked them to censor, due to extreme pressure from the federal government.
"I believe the government pressure was wrong and I regret that we were not more outspoken about it," he said in a letter to House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan. "I also think we made some choices that, with the benefit of hindsight and new information, we wouldn't make today."
Free speech advocates have also weighed in their opinions.
"Western authorities are desperate to put a leash on tech platforms, which have become far less amenable to their censorship demands than they were in 2020, and represent a major threat to their ability to control political narratives," the Foundation For Freedom Online managing director Allum Bokhari told the Daily Mail.
Harris will shut down X if it can't spread government rhetoric: Musk, RFK Jr.
Last week, Musk shared environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s (RFK Jr.) tweet wherein the latter was lambasting the Democratic Party's Harris' drive to destroy free speech.
Kennedy called out Harris on X for the statements, accusing her of wanting to stifle free speech online if it doesn't conform to "government-approved narratives." In his X post, he asked, "Can someone please explain to her that freedom of speech is a RIGHT, not a 'privilege'?"
Musk followed up with his comment: "This is what she actually believes. Free speech is the bedrock of democracy and the Democratic Party (Kamala is just a puppet) wants to destroy it."
This is what she actually believes.
Free speech is the bedrock of democracy and the Democratic Party (Kamala is just a puppet) wants to destroy it. https://t.co/kntGcq2WnK
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 3, 2024
Harris expressed her desire to see then-President Donald Trump's Twitter account removed because of its negative impact on society.
"And the bottom line is that you can't say that you have one rule for Facebook and you have a different rule for Twitter. The same rule has to apply, which is that there has to be a responsibility that is placed on these social media sites to understand their power," Harris said in the particular clip shared by RFK Jr.
"And when you're talking about Donald Trump, he has 65 million Twitter followers, he has proven himself to be willing to obstruct justice. Just ask Bob Mueller. You can look at the manifesto from the shooter in El Paso to know that what Donald Trump says on Twitter impacts peoples' perceptions about what they should and should not do," she said in the full version of the video.
Harris wanted Trump's account to "be taken down" because he had violated the site's terms of service. She also said that there is a need for the government to regulate the platform so that speech like Trump's or that of other popular figures, can't become a bad influence on millions of users. (Related: NO SUBSTANCE: Kamala Harris to focus on personal attacks against Donald Trump in upcoming debate.)
Renowned lawyer Tom Renz commented on the thread. "The greatest threat to our democracy are those willing to sell our freedoms for personal benefit. Corruption defines our capital and we must join together to fight against it," he said.
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