The world’s larger social media companies sure do love to play God, don’t they.
They’ve found a loophole in the system, and they’ve used that loophole to place themselves in between the people of the world and their right to freely assemble online. They are now acting as a filter on free speech, algorithmically and arbitrarily deciding what thoughts are worthy of publication.
And, when confronted with the ethical ambiguity of their decisions, they shrug and say “we’re a private company and we have the right to refuse service to anyone we wish”.
Now, as if to make matter worse, one of the world’s largest social media platforms is adding yet another layer of nitpicking to their already well-stacked filtering process.
Facebook has released a list of the first 20 members of its “Oversight Board,” a semi-independent body the social network is setting up that will have the power to decide whether content banned by Facebook stays banned or is restored on appeal. Members include the former editor-in-chief of the Guardian and a “human rights expert” who is part of George Soros’ Open Society project.
Colloquially known as the “Facebook Supreme Court,” the idea for the body was hatched by Harvard Law professor Noah Feldman, a liberal academic and one of the Democrats’ “expert witnesses” during the impeachment hearings. Also involved in the body’s development was a progressive non-profit, BSR.
The 20 members announced by Facebook today include progressive, left-wing, and mainstream media figures who have been highly critical of President Trump.
And, as if there was any doubt as to how lopsided the team is:
There appears to be no major Trump-supporting figures in Facebook’s list of Oversight Board members. The closest thing it has to a conservative figure is John Samples, vice president at the largely anti-Trump, Koch-funded Cato Institute. Samples appears to be a NeverTrumper. He appeared on a podcast discussing the President’s “assault on American institutions,” and has accused the President of appearing to “oppose basic ideals underpinning liberal democracy.”
Techno-fascism is upon us, ladies and gentleman. George Orwell is rolling over in his grave.
