Ahead of the 2024 election cycle, the world’s largest tech companies are walking back policies meant to curb misinformation around COVID-19 and the 2020 election.
Why it matters: Social media platforms are arguing that the risk of harm no longer outweighs the benefits of political dialogue, drawing concerns from lawmakers and consumer advocacy leaders.
[We can thank Elon Musk for this. Regardless of how well he’s been able to implement free-speech policies at Twitter — and that has been improving — the release of the Twitter Files exposed Big Tech’s collaboration with the US government to censor speech. That has the new Republican House planning public hearings and more internal document demands from both US agencies and social-media platforms. The exposure and accountability has forced the censors to retreat — for now. — Ed]
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