MAHMOUD BENNETT:

AS WE APPROACH THE 2024 POLITICAL CYCLE SOME BIG TECH PLATFORMS ARE ROLLING BACK THEIR SO CALLED MISINFORMATION POLICIES – PARTICULARLY WITH RESPECT TO THE COVID-19 VACCINE AND FALSE ELECTION CLAIMS

LAST WEEK YOUTUBE CONFIRMED ITS MAKING A U TURN ON ITS APPROACH TO ELECTION MISINFORMATION .. IN A BLOG POST THE PLATFORM ANNOUNCING IT WILL QUOTE STOP REMOVING “CONTENT THAT ADVANCES FALSE CLAIMS ABOUT WIDESPREAD FRAUD, ERRORS, OR GLITCHES THAT OCCURRED IN THE 2020 OR PAST US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS.. 

YOUTUBE’S POLICY BANNING ELECTION DENIALISM WAS IMPLEMENTED BACK IN 2020 WHEN DONALD TRUMP LOST… NOW AFTER REMOVING TENS OF THOUSANDS OF VIDEOS, YOUTUBE CONCEDES KEEPING THAT POLICY COULD HAVE THE QUOTE UNINTENDED EFFECT OF CURTAILING POLITICAL SPEECH WITHOUT MEANINGFULLY REDUCING THE RISK OF VIOLENCE OR OTHER REAL-WORLD HARM

SIMILARLY META APPEARS TO BE TAKING A NEW APPROACH AS WELL … AT LEAST FOR ROBERT F KENNEDY JUNIOR WHO WAS BANNED FROM FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM IN 2021 OVER HIS ANTI-VAX REMARKS… KENNEDY JUNIOR IS A LONGTIME VOCAL ANTI VACCINE ACTIVIST BUT META SAYS IT HAS REINSTATED HIM TO THEIR PLATFORMS GIVEN THAT HE’S ACTIVELY RUNNING A PRESIDENTIAL BID TO CHALLENGE PRESIDENT BIDEN IN 2024

IT’S NOT CLEAR IF META INTENDS TO RELAX THEIR POLICIES ON MISINFORMATION FOR OTHER HIGH PROFILE FIGURES

MEANWHILE TWITTER AS WE ALL KNOW HAS HAD A SHAKEUP IN RECENT MONTHS TOO.. DESPITE EVIDENCE OF THE PLATFORM CENSORING SOME CONTENT AT THE BEHEST OF FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS, ELON MUSK’S *PROMISED FREE SPEECH FIRST* POLICIES EFFECTIVELY KILLED TWITTER’S COVID MISINFORMATION RULES, RESTORED THE ACCOUNTS OF ELECTION DENIERS, AND EVEN CREATED A SPACE FOR CONTROVERSIAL FIGURE TUCKER CARLSON TO LAUNCH HIS NEW SHOW – WHICH DEBUTED THIS WEEK

WHILE SOME OPPONENTS BELIEVE THESE NEW CHANGES COULD AMPLIFY FALSE RHETORIC FREE SPEECH ACTIVISTS ARGUE MORE SPEECH AND FACT CHECKING IS THE GREATER FIX – 

AS SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES WEIGH THAT BALANCE – IT’S CLEARLY A SHIFTING LANDSCAPE WE’LL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW HEADING INTO 2024