Kevin McCarthy: ‘Facebook and Twitter Are Not Bigger Than the Constitution’
Tech giants have been 'empowered' too much under Section 230, GOP leader warns
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House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy pushed for the removal of special protections social media platforms enjoy under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
During an interview with New York City WABC 770 AM radio’s “The Cats Roundtable,” McCarthy warned Facebook and Twitter “are not bigger than the Constitution.”
He added that tech giants have been “empowered” too much under Section 230, which he said, “has got to stop.”
"Facebook and Twitter are not bigger than the Constitution,” McCarthy said.
“And what they have done should give everybody a sign here that they have [been] empowered too strong, that they think they can control what is being said.
"If that is the case, they should not be protected from lawsuits by Section 230 that gives them immunity."
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He continued:
"If they want to pick and choose what can be said on a platform and who can be on the platform itself –taking off the former President of the United States — Section 230 should be removed.”
“And if you have a monopoly such as Google, where anyone who searches on the web, 90% of it all goes to Google — they control what is being seen and what is being said — when they deny like a New York Post article from being posted because they don’t like what is being said in the article.
"This should upset every single American, regardless of what party you believe in."
"You believe in this Constitution, and this has got to stop.”
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His remarks come a week after Facebook’s “Supreme Court” upheld the blacklisting of Donald Trump’s accounts.
Facebook's Oversight Board upheld Trump's ban from Facebook and Instagram but said it was "not appropriate" to impose the "indeterminate and standardless penalty of indefinite suspension."
Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley also blasted Facebook:
"Facebook and Twitter ban a former U.S. President, yet, some of the world’s worst dictators, terrorists, and bad actors still have a platform."
"This is a gross double standard, and it’s why most Americans don't trust big tech."
Facebook and Twitter ban a former U.S. President, yet, some of the world’s worst dictators, terrorists, and bad actors still have a platform.
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) May 5, 2021
This is a gross double standard and it’s why most Americans don't trust big tech.
