Having the right to free speech and blocking censorship is becoming increasingly important, especially with the US Presidential election coming up in November 2024.
However, George Soros, a multi-billionaire, has been found to be sending about $80 million to censorship programs as a way to try to influence the election results, silencing millions of Americans in the process.
The American Right to Free Speech
Ever since the American Constitution was drafted, one of the rights every American has is the right to free speech. However, this has changed, especially with social media giving people a bigger voice than ever before.
A Supreme Court case, Murthy v. Missouri, is currently ongoing. The plaintiffs allege that President Joe Biden had been asking social media companies to take down posts spreading false information, which they believe violates the First Amendment.
Soros Wants More Censorship
Soros owns Free Press, a media group that wants to apply more pressure globally on Big Tech companies to up their censorship operations in time for the US 2024 Presidential election.
This comes after Free Press claims it monitors the decisions made by the media and raises the alarm when people’s rights to connect and communicate are threatened.
Soros Is Using Money and Power to Influence the Election
Soros has the money to influence things in one way or another, and he is being accused of using this wealth to influence the election to go his way.
It’s been rumored that he’s siding with Biden and wants to silence those on the opposite side of the political spectrum so they can’t outwardly disagree with what they have to say.
Soros Wants Social Media to Be Safe and Healthy
There have been claims made that Soros wants to silence some Americans as a way of making social media a safe and healthy place for those who use it.
He even wrote a letter to the executives at Big Tech companies, such as Discord, Google, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter), asking them to examine their policies on free speech.
Soros’ Request to Big Tech Companies
In the letter to the Big Tech companies, Soros outlined some of his requests of what he wants them to do as a bare minimum.
Some of these requests include holding public figures to the same accountability as everyone else, investing in greater platform integrity, being more stringent regarding advertising, and paying more attention to AI-generated content, especially those related to the upcoming election.
200 Organizations Signed Soros’ Letter
Many organizations, including the Dangerous Speech Project, the European Partnership for Democracy, Human Rights Watch, and the International Press Institute, signed Soros’ letter to Big Tech.
However, it has been reported that of the 200 organizations who signed the letter, at least 45 were paid over $80 million by Soros between 2016 and 2022, which immediately rang alarm bells for those believing free speech should be protected.
Soros’ Big Tech Letter Had Hidden Intentions
Free Press is claiming that Soros’ letter to the Big Tech companies was done to try and reduce real-world harms and to handle the rise of extremism and attempts to overthrow the Democratic government.
However, Joseph Vazquez, the associate editor for MRC who headed the report on Soros and Free Press, claims the letter’s intention was to pressure Big Tech into censoring free speech across all nations that will be having an election in 2024.
One Company Benefitted From $20 Million
Of the $80 million that is reported to have been given to some companies, $20 million of this went to Global Witness, who has previously had a campaign involved with tackling the division, hate, and disinformation on digital platforms.
Global Witness is a company that wants a “sustainable, just and equal planet.” They say they are committed to encouraging big corporations to prioritize people and the planet in their policies.
Global Witness’ Digital Threats Campaign
One of Global Witness’ campaigns that has been referenced is the digital threats campaign, which they claim aims to stop dangerous disinformation being spread on social media and hold these companies to account.
Global Witness has said that companies allow hateful language to be used on their sites as it generates more clicks, which leads to higher ad revenue than positive language. They hoped this would encourage companies to do something about it so that users wouldn’t come to any harm.
The Danger Social Media Causes for Elections
Soros and Free Press decided to write the letter on behalf of the companies and organizations that signed it due to the dangers social media can have on the outcome of elections worldwide.
Around the time of elections, there is often a lot of disinformation, deepfakes, and harmful content posted to social media that companies aren’t always able to tackle swiftly and efficiently until millions of people have seen it.
The Difference Between Left-Wing and Right-Wing
The big issue is the difference between whether people are left-wing or right-wing. Those who are on the left will say that Soros and Free Press are right to do this to remove harmful information from the internet, especially when it’s something that goes against their beliefs.
However, those on the right will completely disagree. Vazquez claims that Soros is coming after free speech just in time for the 2024 Presidential election. Many on the right will agree with this, saying they have the right to free speech, and as it is written in the Constitution, it should be respected.
