Take the post down. Put it back up. Stop policing
speech. Start silencing extremists.
That’s just a sampling of the intense, often
contradictory demands facing tech companies
and their social media platforms as they try to
oversee internet content without infringing
on First Amendment rights. The pendulum
has swung recently toward restricting hateful
speech that could spawn violence, following a
mass shooting in Texas in which the suspect had
posted a racist screed online.
For Facebook, Google, Twitter and others, it’s
a no-win whipsaw, amplified by a drumbeat
of accusations from President Donald Trump
and his allies that their platforms are steeped
in anti-conservative bias. With lawmakers
and regulators in Washington poring over
their business practices, the tech companies
are anxious to avoid missteps — but finding
criticism at every turn.