Springfield Standard

Recently, Senator Eric Schmitt sent a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Sundar Pichai regarding the increasing attacks facilitated by these companies' platforms on Americans' freedom of speech and other First Amendment rights.

"I am writing to express my concern about the increasing attacks on free speech facilitated by your social media platforms. In the past, social media companies have been employed to suppress American citizens’ speech, particularly conservative speech. This is alarming because the freedom to speak your mind in the public square–or in the virtual public square–is vital to the health of our republic," begins the letter.

"The government must not commandeer a private entity to suppress the speech of American citizens or journalists in the modern-day public square – this is unconstitutional. As nearly half of Americans get their news from social media, these platforms must remain open to free speech and diverse ideas. Unelected officials or corporate policies should not control the marketplace of ideas. I defended against the abuse of these rights throughout my time as Attorney General of Missouri and I will continue to stick up for them as a United States Senator."

"In the lawsuit I filed as the Attorney General of Missouri, Missouri v. Biden, I highlighted how government officials, including President Biden and White House officials, coerced and colluded with social media companies to censor speech under the guise of combatting 'disinformation' and 'misinformation,'" continues the letter.

"The Founding Fathers enshrined the First Amendment after witnessing the costly effects of speech suppression. This is why, for over 230 years, debate and criticism have been bedrock principles in America. As an elected official of Missouri, I will fight for Missourians’ and Americans’ individual freedoms against threats to free speech from both the Biden Administration and your companies," concludes the letter.

Specifically, Schmitt's letter requests answers to several questions:

1. What are your current policies and practices regarding content moderation, specifically in relation to political speech?

2. What is your response to claims that your platforms were used to suppress free speech during the 2020 election?

3. Can you provide specific examples of how your company has handled cases of alleged censorship?

4. How do you respond to allegations that your platforms colluded with government officials to censor certain types of speech?

5. What measures are in place to prevent undue influence from government entities on your content moderation policies?

6. What steps are you taking to increase transparency around your content moderation decisions?

7. How do you plan to safeguard free speech on your platforms as we approach the 2024 election?

8. What changes, if any, are you considering addressing concerns raised about suppression of free speech?

9. Why did your company suppress information related to an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump?

In October 2020, media companies like Twitter and Facebook suppressed legitimate news stories such as Hunter Biden's laptop story and locked The New York Post out of its social media account for breaking it. The Biden campaign allegedly colluded with these tech organizations in a coordinated effort that suppressed millions of Americans' free speech.

Additionally, Google has been accused of suppressing information regarding an assassination attempt against former President Trump. A spokesperson for Google at that time stated that no actions were taken on its search engine that omitted references related to "Trump assassination attempt."

As Missouri’s Attorney General, Senator Schmitt filed suit against the Biden Administration for violating First Amendment rights by colluding with Big Tech companies to suppress opposing viewpoints through Missouri v. Biden—exposing what he termed a "censorship enterprise."

Furthermore, Senator Schmitt introduced legislation known as Curtailing Online Limitations that Lead Unconstitutionally to Democracy’s Erosion (COLLUDE) Act aimed at holding large tech companies accountable under Section 230 protections if they engage in unconstitutional behaviors.

Schmitt also pointed out similar trends across Europe where draconian "hate speech" laws are being used aggressively against dissenters—a reminder for Americans about their constitutional rights enshrined in over two centuries.

The full text of Senator Schmitt's letter can be accessed online.