{"id":1562860,"date":"2022-07-20T11:57:10","date_gmt":"2022-07-20T15:57:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1562860"},"modified":"2022-07-20T12:04:21","modified_gmt":"2022-07-20T16:04:21","slug":"the-impact-of-big-techs-thought-policing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-impact-of-big-techs-thought-policing\/","title":{"rendered":"The Impact of Big Tech&#8217;s Thought Policing"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-impact-of-big-techs-thought-policing%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1562860&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h3>EXECUTIVE SUMMARY<\/h3>\n<p>Big Tech in recent years has consistently discriminated against conservatives and independent thinkers by censoring them online. This has affected everyone from the former president of the United States to everyday men and women.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>When Big Tech companies censor someone, they don\u2019t only block that one person. But they also block all of that person\u2019s followers from new ideas and viewpoints.<\/p>\n<p>This phenomenon is best thought of as \u201csecondhand censorship.\u201d <strong>Secondhand censorship is defined as the number of times that users on social media had information kept from them.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>MRC Free Speech America tracked the effects of secondhand censorship using our one-of-a-kind <a href=\"https:\/\/censortrack.org\/\">CensorTrack database<\/a>. Across seven Big Tech platforms \u2013 Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and Spotify \u2013 MRC Free Speech America logged a grand total of <strong>144,301,713 times that users on social media had information kept from them in the first quarter of 2022 alone<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>MRC calculated the secondhand censorship effect by adding the number of followers each account had at the time of each censorship case recorded during the quarter.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The secondhand censorship effect for the first quarter of 2022 includes only the censorship cases we found or were informed about. Because of this, it represents a mere fraction of the total scale of secondhand censorship taking place.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Big Tech\u2019s lack of transparency means that an incalculable amount of censorship \u2013 beyond what is shown in this report \u2013 takes place every day.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For this report, MRC worked intensively to derive firm, accurate statistics for the first quarter of 2022. But we did not attempt to quantify the ongoing, current impacts of secondhand censorship spawned by social media companies\u2019 permanent suspensions of certain users initiated in prior quarters. So, the report\u2019s findings do not include people whose accounts were permanently suspended prior to the first quarter.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>When Twitter silenced Trump, his more than 90 million followers could no longer see his point of view on current issues on the platform.<\/strong> The most striking, and perhaps boldest, example of social media\u2019s censorship happened in January 2021. Early that month, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbusters.org\/blogs\/free-speech\/alexander-hall\/2021\/01\/07\/facebook-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-censors-trump-indefinitely\">Facebook<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbusters.org\/blogs\/free-speech\/alexander-hall\/2021\/01\/08\/twitter-permanently-bans-president-donald-trump\">Twitter<\/a> permanently banned then-President Donald Trump. Trump tweeted an average of 18 times per day during his presidency, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetrumparchive.com\/?dates=%5B%222017-01-20%22%2C%222021-01-09%22%5D&#038;results=1\">Trump Twitter Archive<\/a>. That means secondhand censorship affected users 1,620,000,000 times in a single day stemming from Twitter\u2019s ban of Trump\u2019s account. MRC did not count the secondhand censorship associated with Trump\u2019s continuing bans on Twitter or Facebook through the first quarter of 2022. If we had, though, the number would have been nearly 150 billion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Big Tech permanently suspended other accounts not included in this report.<\/strong> Former <em>New York Times<\/em> journalist <a href=\"https:\/\/alexberenson.com\/\">Alex Berenson<\/a> (who had <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20210828211154\/www.twitter.com\/alexberenson\">about 344,000 Twitter followers<\/a> before his August 2021 permanent suspension), Free Speech Alliance (FSA) member <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectveritas.com\/\">Project Veritas<\/a> (which had about <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20210210193715\/www.twitter.com\/project_veritas\">733,000 Twitter followers<\/a> before its February 2021 permanent suspension) and fellow FSA member and pro-life news outlet <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lifesitenews.com\/\">LifeSiteNews.com<\/a> (which had about 200,000 Facebook followers before the platform permanently suspended the publication, according to a group spokesperson) all had their accounts permanently suspended prior to the first quarter. This report does not assess the impacts of secondhand censorship for these three banned groups, nor does it account for the times they could have tweeted, posted or otherwise shared content.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Streaming platform Spotify removed approximately 70 episodes of comedian Joe Rogan\u2019s podcast, but that tells only a portion of the story. <\/strong>In MRC\u2019s count, we tallied only one instance of censorship against Rogan for Spotify\u2019s removal of at least 70 episodes from the platform in February following Rogan\u2019s past uses of the N-word. Rogan had approximately 11 million viewers of his Spotify podcasts, according to <em>Daily Mail, <\/em>Fox News and <em>New York Post <\/em>reporting. Had MRC added each of the other 69 removed episodes and multiplied that by the number of viewers Rogan had at the time of each video\u2019s removal, the secondhand censorship effect total would have been 770 million.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Each time Big Tech censors an account or its posts, all of that account\u2019s followers suffer the effects of secondhand censorship.<\/p>\n<p>This is the untold story of censorship \u2013 \u201csecondhand censorship.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>National policymakers and the American public must act now to end Big Tech companies\u2019 authoritarian practices against those who confront the status quo.<\/p>\n<p>Big Tech censorship\u2019s added impacts, otherwise known as secondhand censorship, affect social media users around the world. The practice prevents social media users from learning new information and considering viewpoints that run counter to the leftist narrative on current issues.<\/p>\n<p><em>See this link for a breakdown of our first-quarter secondhand-censorship numbers: <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.newsbusters.org\/blog_attachment\/Secondhand%20Censorship%20Breakdown.pdf\" type=\"application\/pdf; length=1184444\">Secondhand Censorship Breakdown.pdf<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>STUDY: THE SECONDHAND-CENSORSHIP EFFECT<\/h3>\n<p>From Facebook and Twitter booting former President Donald Trump to Big Tech\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbusters.org\/blogs\/free-speech\/alexander-hall\/2020\/10\/14\/twitter-disables-links-bombshell-new-york-post-report\">coordinated suppression<\/a> of the <em>New York Post<\/em>\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbusters.org\/blogs\/free-speech\/corinne-weaver\/2020\/10\/15\/dangerous-even-liberal-poynter-slams-platforms\">Hunter Biden laptop story<\/a>, Big Tech has consistently engaged in blatant, forceful efforts to police the thoughts of conservative and free-thinking social media users in <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.mrc.org\/static\/censored\/mrc-censorship-report.pdf\">recent years<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>MRC identified 172<strong> <\/strong>individual cases of direct censorship logged in MRC Free Speech America\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/censortrack.org\/\">CensorTrack database<\/a> during the first quarter of 2022. CensorTrack has now logged a total of <a href=\"https:\/\/censortrack.org\/\">over 4,000 total cases<\/a> of Big Tech\u2019s direct censorship.<\/p>\n<p>But when Big Tech companies censor an account or its posts, every one of the censored account\u2019s followers are unable to see the perspectives of the targeted account, or the account\u2019s posts are obscured such that they\u2019re suppressed and more difficult to view. The consequences of this \u201csecondhand censorship\u201d are broad authoritarianism, mass thought-control and a restricted marketplace of ideas.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MRC Free Speech America found at least 144,301,713 times that users on social media had information kept from them in the first quarter of 2022<\/strong>, according to CensorTrack data.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>MRC used CensorTrack to tally the number of social media <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.mrc.org\/static\/reports\/Secondhand+Censorship+Tracking+-+Q1+2022.pdf\">users affected<\/a> each time Big Tech censored an account or its posts. MRC also tabulated secondhand censorship by platform and by topic.<\/p>\n<p>The biggest purveyors of secondhand censorship in the first quarter of 2022 were Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. During that time, more Facebook users suffered secondhand censorship than on any other platform. Using our <a href=\"https:\/\/censortrack.org\/\">CensorTrack database<\/a>, MRC Free Speech America determined that secondhand censorship affected Facebook users 86,764,526 times, YouTube users 23,543,230 times and Twitter users 17,065,054 times in the first quarter.<\/p>\n<p>MRC also found that secondhand censorship affected Spotify users at least <strong>11,000,000<\/strong> times, Instagram users <strong>3,828,826<\/strong> times, TikTok users <strong>2,083,866 <\/strong>times and LinkedIn users <strong>16,211 <\/strong>times during the first quarter of 2022.<\/p>\n<p>Secondhand censorship during the first quarter cascaded across the topics of <strong>war and alleged violence<\/strong>, <strong>race<\/strong>, <strong>transgenderism<\/strong>, <strong>COVID-19<\/strong> and <strong>abortion<\/strong>, which are highlighted in MRC\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/censortrack.org\/\">CensorTrack database<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>READERS OF WAR AND ALLEGEDLY VIOLENT CONTENT TARGETED HEAVILY <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Secondhand censorship hit allegedly violent and war-related content more than any other topic area during the first three months of 2022. MRC counted <strong>19 total cases of censorship of allegedly violent and war-related content, resulting in <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1z-hyEzY4a2L6RbQtJ-mBUzFIs4i16U_r6750jmmRBz4\/edit\"><strong>users<\/strong><\/a><strong> being affected by secondhand censorship 26,366,632 times during the first quarter<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>YouTube <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbusters.org\/blogs\/free-speech\/alexander-hall\/2022\/03\/14\/youtube-censors-gabbards-fox-interview-they-wanna-turn\">placed two content filters<\/a> on a Fox News video of former Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tulsigabbard.com\/\">Tulsi Gabbard<\/a> (D-HI) and Fox News host <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/person\/i\/laura-ingraham\">Laura Ingraham<\/a> about the Ukraine War, as noted in a March 9 CensorTrack <a href=\"https:\/\/censortrack.org\/case\/fox-news-3\">entry<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Gabbard <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=FtGnDNeAQVk\">said<\/a> on <em>The Ingraham Angle<\/em> that Ukrainian President <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ZelenskyyUa?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor\">Volodymyr Zelensky<\/a> was reportedly open to engaging in negotiations to compromise with Russian President <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KremlinRussia_E\">Vladimir Putin<\/a> to end the war.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>YouTube used content filters to chide Fox News subscribers, suggesting that the video \u201cmay be inappropriate,\u201d and that the YouTube \u201ccommunity\u201d had identified the video as \u201cinappropriate or offensive.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Secondhand censorship translated to Fox News\u2019s 9,180,000 YouTube subscribers being prohibited from viewing potentially pivotal news <\/strong>about a possible path toward peace in the Ukraine War.<strong> <\/strong>The incident contributed to thwarting a consensus on a viable path out of the war from forming.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"1332\" src=\"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/20120420\/MCX7_vDaXJVWYd22QZVvFPwBvRxCZimkbFNvHXkSF6dgHVK8Lq4OL4TlxxFNi0r2iBY03gIqjNSmSYop88L3KrppJMs7o_eghw5svQr7YzG3bGPZN_2nNNgedOhaGrGgcBqNF4eE9IIl2TwsykXeKQ\" width=\"624\" alt=\"image\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Independent hip-hop artist and video producer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/An0malyhiphop\">An0maly<\/a> said Instagram and TikTok each <a href=\"https:\/\/censortrack.org\/case\/an0maly-3\">censored him once<\/a> during the first quarter of this year. He also said that Big Tech cracked down on news videos he posted about the Ukraine War.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just had my <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/instagram?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1503040964700479504%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&#038;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsbusters.org%2Fblogs%2Ffree-speech%2Fjoseph-vazquez%2F2022%2F03%2F14%2Fpurged-social-media-influencer-an0maly-asks-if-big-tech\">@Instagram<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/InstagramComms?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1503040964700479504%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&#038;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsbusters.org%2Fblogs%2Ffree-speech%2Fjoseph-vazquez%2F2022%2F03%2F14%2Fpurged-social-media-influencer-an0maly-asks-if-big-tech\">@InstagramComms<\/a>) account demonetized for accurately reporting [on] the Russia\/Ukraine conflict,\u201d he <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LegendaryEnergy\/status\/1503040964700479504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1503040964700479504%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&#038;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsbusters.org%2Fblogs%2Ffree-speech%2Fjoseph-vazquez%2F2022%2F03%2F14%2Fpurged-social-media-influencer-an0maly-asks-if-big-tech\">tweeted<\/a> March 13. An0maly questioned whether Instagram and TikTok <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbusters.org\/blogs\/free-speech\/joseph-vazquez\/2022\/03\/14\/purged-social-media-influencer-an0maly-asks-if-big-tech\">worked together<\/a> to censor him, because they acted at the same time.<\/p>\n<p>An0maly had 421,000 Instagram followers and 130,200 TikTok followers at the time of the platforms\u2019 censorship of him in mid-March. Put together, secondhand censorship affected An0maly\u2019s followers <strong>551,200 times combined across the rapper\u2019s two accounts.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In another act of war-related censorship, <a href=\"https:\/\/censortrack.org\/case\/todd-starnes-0\">Twitter smacked<\/a> political commentator <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/toddstarnes\">Todd Starnes<\/a> with censorship, and as a byproduct, also smacked his <strong>192,000<\/strong> <strong>followers with secondhand censorship<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/swalwell.house.gov\/\">Eric Swalwell<\/a> (D-CA) suggested the platform lock Starnes\u2019s account. The lock followed Swalwell\u2019s suggestion and a Starnes tweet calling out President Joe Biden\u2019s reportedly poor vetting of Afghan refugees when they immigrated to the U.S. following the Biden administration\u2019s botched military withdrawal from Afghanistan, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CYzxLjUJZgc\/\">screenshot<\/a> sent to MRC Free Speech America.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RACE-RELATED CONTENT TARGETED FOR SECONDHAND CENSORSHIP<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In the race category, woke Big Tech censorship took many forms. Actions ranged from Spotify retroactively removing some of comedian <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joerogan.com\/\">Joe Rogan<\/a>\u2019s podcasts to Facebook blocking monetization of a Babylon Bee<em> <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/watch\/?v=438705914587015\">music video parodying the Black Lives Matter (BLM) riots<\/a> to Twitter suspending Free Speech Alliance (FSA) member <a href=\"https:\/\/thechalkboardreview.com\/\">Chalkboard Review<\/a>, which opposes Marxist critical race theory (CRT).<\/p>\n<p>MRC counted <strong>12 instances of Big Tech\u2019s direct censorship<\/strong> <strong>of race-related content<\/strong> in the first quarter. Secondhand censorship affected the followers of these accounts <strong>13,433,845 times across multiple platforms.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Most race-related secondhand censorship during the first quarter came when Spotify <a href=\"https:\/\/censortrack.org\/case\/joe-rogan-5\">removed approximately 70 episodes<\/a> of Rogan\u2019s podcast \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/4rOoJ6Egrf8K2IrywzwOMk\">The Joe Rogan Experience<\/a>\u201d in February. <strong>When the streaming platform removed those episodes, the effects of secondhand censorship cascaded across Rogan\u2019s <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/joe-rogan-gained-2-million-subscribers-spotify\"><strong>reported<\/strong><\/a><strong> <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/04\/25\/joe-rogan-on-cancel-culture-attempt-i-gained-2m-subscribers\/\"><strong>11 million<\/strong><\/a><strong> per-episode Spotify <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-10752251\/Joe-Rogan-claims-gained-two-million-subscribers-faced-canceled.html\"><strong>listeners<\/strong><\/a><strong>. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Rogan\u2019s past use of the N-word over the roughly 10-year course of his podcast reportedly ignited a furor across Spotify\u2019s workforce. The comments even reportedly prodded Spotify CEO <a href=\"https:\/\/mobile.twitter.com\/eldsjal?lang=en\">Daniel Ek<\/a> into writing a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2022\/02\/07\/spotify-ceo-streamer-wont-silence-joe-rogan\">memo<\/a> to employees saying that the \u201churtful\u201d comments \u201cdo not represent the values of this company,\u201d according to <em>Axios<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Just after a video collage of Rogan\u2019s use of the N-word came out, MRC found that leftist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbusters.org\/blogs\/free-speech\/catherine-salgado\/2022\/02\/11\/bette-midler-donated-meidastouch-superpac-targeting\">PatriotTakes, the group behind the video\u2019s release<\/a>, partnered with leftist SuperPAC MeidasTouch. MeidasTouch was partly funded by actress Bette Midler, who has a history of unhinged political behavior. She demonstrated this in a May 24 tweet that <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BetteMidler\/status\/1529212313105862656?s=20&#038;t=ahF_AP_cz6CImRIwx0FBfA\">read<\/a>, in part: \u201cDON&#8217;T SAVE FETUSES ONLY TO HAVE THEM DIE AT SCHOOL BECAUSE YOU LOVE YOUR GUNS MORE THAN LIFE!\u00a0 FOR SHAME!!\u201d This wasn\u2019t censored, of course.<\/p>\n<p>But the secondhand censorship we counted for Rogan represents a small fraction of the total impact of Spotify\u2019s actions. MRC counted only one case of censorship to represent the one fell swoop in which the podcaster\u2019s approximately 70 episodes were removed from the platform in February. Had MRC counted a separate censorship case for each of the remaining 69 episodes that had been removed, the secondhand censorship effect total would have been 770 million.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to Spotify censoring Rogan, Facebook targeted race-related content several times, including by <a href=\"https:\/\/censortrack.org\/case\/babylon-bee-8\">constricting monetization of a music video<\/a> by The Babylon Bee calling out the BLM riots of summer 2020.<\/p>\n<p>The Babylon Bee posted a music<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/watch\/?v=438705914587015\"> video<\/a> called &#8220;Seasons of Blood: 525,600 Minutes of BLM Riots,&#8221; which parodied Seasons of Love (525,600 minutes) from the Broadway musical Rent.<\/p>\n<p>The song called out the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbusters.org\/blogs\/nb\/nicholas-fondacaro\/2020\/09\/16\/abc-nbc-spike-mostly-peaceful-protests-leaving-2-billion\">overblown media response to the Jan. 6, 2021<\/a>, Capitol riot and the utter lack of an equivalent response to the BLM riots the year before. The video claimed that BLM rioters killed 22 people and destroyed hundreds of black businesses, while Vice President Kamala Harris <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/bail-fund-backed-by-kamala-harris-and-biden-staffers-bailed-out-alleged-child-abuser\">promoted a bail fund that ended up raising<\/a> $35 million to bail criminals out of jail.<\/p>\n<p>Facebook made the video&#8217;s monetization limited &#8220;due to one or more policy violations,&#8221; according to a screenshot<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SethDillon\/status\/1486718338306695175\"> tweeted<\/a> by The Babylon Bee CEO <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SethDillon?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor\">Seth Dillon<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Twitter joined Facebook in censoring an MRC Free Speech Alliance member <a href=\"https:\/\/censortrack.org\/case\/chalkboard-review\">in February when it suspended The Chalkboard Review<\/a>, which actively opposes CRT.<\/p>\n<p>Chalkboard Review told MRC in an email that Twitter had &#8220;given no warning or reasons our account has violated guidelines.&#8221; The group said that following its suspension, it &#8220;discovered that the [National Education Association (NEA)] teachers Union went to social media companies in January asking them to help &#8216;crack down&#8217; on &#8216;anti-CRT propaganda.'&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Twitter unsuspended Chalkboard Review&#8217;s account Feb. 4 after Twitter determined it wasn&#8217;t &#8220;in violation of the Twitter rules,&#8221; according to a snapshot. However, Chalkboard Review<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChalkBoardRev\/status\/1489647876896702473?s=20&#038;t=o8GDoNDn3TbPXOhSLLV6Ug\"> noted <\/a>that it had lost all its followers.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Our account has just been unsuspended by Twitter,\u201d the account tweeted Feb. 4. \u201cThey cite that our account &#8216;does not appear to be in violation of the Twitter Rules&#8217;. We&#8217;ve lost all of our followers, and are immediately beginning the verification process so this doesn&#8217;t happen again.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>BIG TECH TARGETED CONTENT CRITICAL OF LEFT&#8217;S TRANSGENDER AGENDA <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Published CensorTrack entries show <strong>Big Tech directly suppressed content critical of the left\u2019s transgender narrative 22 times. <\/strong>Those cases of direct censorship translated to a total of <strong>11,964,958 times that <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1z-hyEzY4a2L6RbQtJ-mBUzFIs4i16U_r6750jmmRBz4\/edit\"><strong>users<\/strong><\/a><strong> on social media had information kept from them.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The most notable instance of <strong>secondhand censorship<\/strong> of content critical of the left\u2019s transgender narrative happened when Twitter <a href=\"https:\/\/censortrack.org\/case\/tucker-carlson-2\"><strong>deleted a post<\/strong><\/a><strong>, <\/strong>impacting<strong> the 4,990,000 followers of Fox News host <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/person\/c\/tucker-carlson\"><strong>Tucker Carlson<\/strong><\/a><strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Carlson tweeted apparent screenshots of Twitter\u2019s restriction notices sent to FSA member The Babylon Bee<em> <\/em>and conservative commentator <a href=\"https:\/\/thecharliekirkshow.com\/\">Charlie Kirk<\/a>, who is also a board advisor for MRC Free Speech America and CensorTrack.<\/p>\n<p>Twitter restricted the accounts of The Babylon Bee and Kirk for calling transgender U.S. Assistant Health Secretary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.gov\/about\/leadership\/rachel-levine.html\">Rachel Levine<\/a> a man.<\/p>\n<p>The Babylon Bee and Kirk\u2019s followers were affected by secondhand censorship <strong>1,300,000 and 1,700,000 times, respectively<\/strong>, merely as a result of this one incident.<\/p>\n<p>As for Carlson, he <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20220322210926\/https:\/\/twitter.com\/TuckerCarlson\">tweeted<\/a> that both The Babylon Bee\u2019s and Kirk\u2019s tweets about Levine\u2019s gender \u201care true.\u201d Twitter claimed this post violated its rules, according to Archive.org<a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20220322210926\/https:\/\/twitter.com\/TuckerCarlson\"> records<\/a> for Carlson\u2019s Twitter page on March 22, and all of Carlson\u2019s 4,990,000 followers weren\u2019t allowed to see his post.<\/p>\n<p>Other notable times secondhand censorship affected users stemming from content critical of the left\u2019s transgender narrative on social media in the first quarter included:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/censortrack.org\/case\/matt-walsh-1\"><strong>Twitter suspended <\/strong><strong><em>The Daily Wire<\/em><\/strong><strong> commentator Matt Walsh in January<\/strong><\/a>: Twitter suspended Walsh for tweeting that the greatest female Jeopardy champion, top female college swimmer and first female four-star admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service are men (secondhand censorship affected users <strong>771,300 times<\/strong>). In the post, Walsh also noted: \u201cThe patriarchy wins in the end.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/censortrack.org\/case\/ag-ken-paxton-r\"><strong>Twitter censored<\/strong><\/a><strong> <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KenPaxtonTX\/status\/1504995301479878659\"><strong>Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton<\/strong><\/a><strong> <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KenPaxtonTX\/status\/1504873386341711873\"><strong>three times in March<\/strong><\/a>: The censorship happened over the course of two days \u2013 March 17-18. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texasattorneygeneral.gov\/about-office\">Paxton<\/a> initially called Levine a man, then called <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KenPaxtonTX\/status\/1504995301479878659\">Emma Weyant<\/a> \u201cthe real champion of the Division 1 NCAA women\u2019s 500-yard freestyle\u201d after she lost the first place spot to transgender swimmer Lia Thomas. After these two restrictions, Twitter callously <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KenPaxtonTX\/status\/1504873386341711873\">censored<\/a> a press release from Paxton\u2019s office criticizing Big Tech censorship. <strong>These three instances of Twitter silencing Paxton translated to 532,800 times that users on social media had information kept from them.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>BIG TECH THOUGHT POLICE SILENCED THOSE THAT QUESTIONED THE LEFT&#8217;S COVID-19 NARRATIVE <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Big Tech censorship of alternate viewpoints on COVID-19 and vaccinations raged ahead during the first quarter of 2022, even as cases declined and local governments loosened masking and vaccination mandates.<\/p>\n<p>Tech platforms sought total control over information related to COVID-19\u2019s origins, the usefulness of cloth masks in preventing the virus\u2019s spread, efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines and local government policies on supposed COVID-19 prevention. This Big Tech totalitarianism meant that social media <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1z-hyEzY4a2L6RbQtJ-mBUzFIs4i16U_r6750jmmRBz4\/edit\">users<\/a> weren\u2019t permitted to critically analyze pandemic-related information on a factual basis.<\/p>\n<p><em>Twitter even censored a news report covering a peer-reviewed study about vaccine materials transforming into human DNA!\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Just the News published a story March 3 reporting on a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1467-3045\/44\/3\/73\/htm#B39-cimb-44-00073\">Swedish study<\/a> that found the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine can convert to DNA inside human liver cells.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But readers of Just the News were blocked from learning about the study.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>All <strong>867,000 of Just the News founder <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jsolomonReports\"><strong>John Solomon<\/strong><\/a><strong>\u2019s Twitter followers<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/censortrack.org\/case\/john-solomon-1\">weren\u2019t allowed<\/a> to read a <a href=\"https:\/\/justthenews.com\/politics-policy\/coronavirus\/pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-converts-dna-inside-human-liver-cells-according\">March 3 news story<\/a> covering the Swedish study. Such censorship potentially jeopardized the ability of readers to seek appropriate medical care for COVID-19. The censored story\u2019s subheadline also noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/vaccines\/facts.html\">claimed \u201cthe vaccine<\/a>\u201d could not turn into DNA.<\/p>\n<p>Big Tech\u2019s prejudicial <strong>secondhand censorship surged across 193,000 subscribers to the <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clayandbuck.com\/\"><strong>Clay Travis &#038; Buck Sexton Show<\/strong><\/a><strong> <\/strong>when YouTube<strong> <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/censortrack.org\/case\/clay-travis-and-buck-sexton-show\">refused<\/a> to post the political commentators\u2019 interview of Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paul.senate.gov\/\">Rand Paul<\/a> (R-KY). Paul challenged the left\u2019s narrative, saying there was no logical reason for vaccine mandates to continue, given Pfizer CEO <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pfizer.com\/people\/leadership\/executives\/albert_bourla-dvm-phd\">Albert Bourla<\/a>\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mrctv.org\/videos\/yahoo-finance-jan-10-interview-pfizer-ceo\">statement<\/a> that the first two doses ineffectively protected against the Omicron variant of COVID-19.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have to stand up for ourselves,\u201d Paul said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Big Tech censors also targeted grassroots protestors of COVID-19 mandates.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Apparently taking cues from Canadian Prime Minister <a href=\"https:\/\/pm.gc.ca\/en\">Justin Trudeau<\/a>, who mercilessly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbusters.org\/blogs\/free-speech\/alexander-hall\/2022\/02\/15\/free-speech-advocates-blast-canada-govt-emergency-act\">cracked down<\/a> on truckers protesting COVID-19 mandates in his country, Facebook deactivated a grassroots group formed to protest U.S. COVID-19 mandates, which is logged in a February 1 <a href=\"https:\/\/censortrack.org\/case\/convoy-dc-2022\">CensorTrack post<\/a>. The group planned to unite truckers from across the U.S. to protest pandemic-related requirements.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Though the effort appeared designed to stop the convoy from picking up enough steam to cram the streets of D.C., Facebook absurdly claimed it shut down the group for \u201crepeatedly\u201d violating \u201cpolicies around QAnon,\u201d Reclaim The Net <a href=\"https:\/\/reclaimthenet.org\/facebook-bans-convoy-to-dc-2022\/\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Put together, <strong>secondhand censorship <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/censortrack.org\/case\/convoy-dc-2022\"><strong>whacked<\/strong><\/a><strong> 137,000 Facebook followers of the \u201cConvoy to DC,\u201d cramping plans for an organized protest.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>TECH GIANTS TARGETED POSTS SUPPORTING LIFE, DENOUNCING ABORTION<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Big Tech took a decidedly pro-choice stance in the first quarter.<\/p>\n<p>Twitter and Instagram were among the platforms that stifled the spread of messages to prevent the slaughter of unborn children.<\/p>\n<p>Big Tech\u2019s censorship of posts critical of abortion resulted in <strong>86,469 times that <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1z-hyEzY4a2L6RbQtJ-mBUzFIs4i16U_r6750jmmRBz4\/edit\"><strong>users<\/strong><\/a><strong> on social media had information kept from them in the first quarter<\/strong>, according to data logged in MRC\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/censortrack.org\/\">CensorTrack database<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Twitter <a href=\"https:\/\/gettr.com\/post\/p12okw16d12\">censored<\/a> Crisis Magazine Editor-in-Chief <a href=\"https:\/\/ericsammons.com\/\">Eric Sammons<\/a>\u2019s faith-based criticism of secular norms in March, according to a March 29 <a href=\"https:\/\/censortrack.org\/case\/eric-r-sammons\">CensorTrack entry<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Just a reminder: Homosexual activity is a sin,\u201d the head of the Catholic magazine tweeted. \u201cTransgenderism is a mental illness. Abortion is murder.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Twitter locked Sammons\u2019s account for a few days, claiming \u201chateful conduct,\u201d until Sammons deleted the tweet.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Twitter\u2019s censorship of Sammons resulted in his followers being affected by secondhand censorship 16,600 times with this one act of censorship.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Instagram\u2019s censorship of pro-life posts hit close to home in January, as the platform <a href=\"https:\/\/censortrack.org\/case\/mrcs-tierin-rose-mandelburg\"><strong>didn&#8217;t allow<\/strong><\/a><strong> the 2,490 followers<\/strong> of MRC staff writer, researcher and video creator <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mrctv.org\/author\/tierin-rose-mandelburg\">Tierin-Rose Mandelburg<\/a> to see her January posts from the <a href=\"https:\/\/marchforlife.org\/\">National March for Life<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;63 million murders for convenience is 63 million too many,\u201d Mandelburg captioned her post. \u201cLet&#8217;s make this the last year we gotta march for ALL life! Roe gotta go!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Instagram removed the post because it supposedly violated its \u201cCommunity Guidelines,\u201d it said, adding some people \u201cmay be sensitive\u201d to \u201cdifferent things.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The platform restored the post within an hour of requesting a review.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>SECONDHAND CENSORSHIP FACTS BY SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Facebook<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>CensorTrack flagged Meta (formerly Facebook) as having inflicted massive amounts of secondhand censorship in the first quarter of 2022 \u2014<strong> more than any other platform.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The platform\u2019s censorship resulted in users experiencing secondhand censorship <strong>86,627,526 times in the first quarter<\/strong>, according to data logged in the MRC <a href=\"https:\/\/censortrack.org\/\">CensorTrack database<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Facebook has been under enormous pressure by leftist groups to censor conservative content.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A 1,000-company leftist coalition called \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-facebook-ads-boycott-exclusive\/exclusive-facebook-ad-boycott-campaign-to-go-global-organizers-say-idUSKBN23Z0O4\">Stop Hate for Profit<\/a>\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbusters.org\/blogs\/free-speech\/corinne-weaver\/2020\/06\/29\/facebook-caves-liberal-pressure-and-agrees-censor-trump\">boycotted<\/a> Facebook ads in June 2020 to push the platform to suppress then-President Trump\u2019s posts in the leadup to the 2020 election. Pressure from the group<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbusters.org\/blogs\/free-speech\/corinne-weaver\/2020\/07\/20\/facebook-ceo-zuckerberg-working-trump-would-be\"> drove<\/a> Facebook to create a policy removing certain Trump posts subjectively deemed to be violent or as intimidating voters.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Eventually, Facebook <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbusters.org\/blogs\/free-speech\/alexander-hall\/2021\/01\/07\/facebook-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-censors-trump-indefinitely\">canceled<\/a> Trump\u2019s account.<\/p>\n<p>Meta (then Facebook) announced partnerships with \u201cthird-party fact-checkers\u201d just after the COVID-19 pandemic started in March 2020. Facebook\u2019s fact-checking network members are part of the leftist Poynter-headed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.poynter.org\/innovation-initiative\/\">International Fact-Checking Network<\/a> (IFCN).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Fact-checking is one of Facebook\u2019s main methods of censoring views that counter the left\u2019s narrative about political and social issues.<\/p>\n<p>And that can at least be partly explained by the fact that billionaire leftist financier George Soros has donated lofty sums to that \u201cfact-checking network,\u201d which protects the liberal narrative.<\/p>\n<p>Open Society Foundations <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opensocietyfoundations.org\/grants\/past?filter_keyword=%22International+fact-checking+network%22\">records show that<\/a> leftist billionaire George Soros contributed at least $467,000 to support Poynter\u2019s IFCN between 2017 and 2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In the weeks leading up to the 2020 election, liberally biased IFCN member and Facebook fact-checker <a href=\"https:\/\/leadstories.com\/\">Lead Stories<\/a> released 18 \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/leadstories.com\/cgi-bin\/mt\/mt-search.fcgi?search=%22hunter%20biden%22&#038;IncludeBlogs=1&#038;blog_id=1&#038;limit=10&#038;page=5\">fact-checks<\/a>\u201d defending President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, even as the widely respected <em>New York Post <\/em>reported on the alleged corrupt dealings of the Biden family in Ukraine 2 1\/2 weeks before the election.<\/p>\n<p>Facebook\u2019s actions, partnerships and funding streams all indicate a massive effort to marginalize conservative and alternative views, restrict allowable debate and manipulate information flow.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A sizable proportion \u2013 44.2 percent \u2013 of IFCN members reported Facebook\u2019s fact-checking program was their highest source of revenue last year, according to IFCN\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.poynter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/IFCN_2022_StateFactChecking2021_v06.pdf\">State of the Fact-Checkers 2021 report<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>YouTube<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Google-owned YouTube was the <strong>second-biggest culprit of secondhand censorship <\/strong>in the first three months of this year.<\/p>\n<p>Across all topic areas, including content that questioned the left\u2019s narrative on COVID-19, YouTube\u2019s censorship resulted in users being affected by secondhand censorship <strong>23,543,230 times in the first quarter<\/strong>, according to MRC CensorTrack data.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Like Facebook, YouTube has been under intense pressure from the left to censor alternative viewpoints harshly.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, while IFCN is an official Facebook partner, in January Poynter\u2019s \u201cfact-checking\u201d network also<a href=\"https:\/\/newsbusters.org\/blogs\/free-speech\/joseph-vazquez\/2022\/01\/18\/liberal-funded-global-fact-checking-network-decries\"> called<\/a> for YouTube to take harsher censorship measures against COVID-19 content that questioned the left\u2019s narrative.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The platform obliged.<\/p>\n<p>MRC counted <strong>14 first-quarter instances<\/strong> in which YouTube directly censored content questioning the left\u2019s narrative on COVID-19 and content critical of COVID-19 vaccinations. Those actions resulted in secondhand censorship affecting users <strong>2,787,337 times <\/strong>for COVID-19 content on the platform from January to March. This meant that broad swaths of YouTube users weren\u2019t given critical facts to help them make important decisions about their health care.<\/p>\n<p>Conservative talk show host and 2022 MRC Bulldog Award winner for Outstanding Podcast <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/dbongino?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor\">Dan Bongino<\/a>\u2019s censorship alone resulted in secondhand censorship affecting users <strong>1,764,989 times in the first quarter<\/strong>. That number was the sum total resulting from YouTube directly <a href=\"https:\/\/censortrack.org\/case\/dan-bongino-4\">suppressing<\/a> Bongino\u2019s posts on the <a href=\"https:\/\/censortrack.org\/case\/dan-bongino-4\">efficacy of masks and COVID-19<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/censortrack.org\/case\/dan-bongino-5\">twice<\/a> in January, according to CensorTrack data.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>YouTube took aim at Bongino and his nearly 900,000 subscribers after he claimed masks were \u201cuseless\u201d in preventing the spread of COVID-19 on his podcast, <a href=\"https:\/\/bongino.com\/\">The Dan Bongino Show<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>YouTube suspended Bongino\u2019s secondary page, and a company spokesperson <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/nicholasreimann\/2022\/01\/14\/youtube-suspends-fox-news-host-dan-bongino-for-covid-disinformation\/?sh=157c7e203506\">reportedly told <em>Forbes<\/em><\/a><em> <\/em>that the commentator \u201crepeatedly\u201d violated so-called \u201cAdvertiser-Friendly Guidelines on harmful and dangerous acts.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Bongino later tried to upload a video to his main channel while his secondary channel remained suspended.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>YouTube permanently banned Bongino\u2019s main channel for trying \u201cto circumvent the suspension,\u201d a platform spokesperson told MRC Free Speech America.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen a channel receives a strike, it is against our Terms of Service to post content or use another channel to circumvent the suspension,\u201d the spokesperson said. \u201cIf a channel is terminated, the uploader is unable to use, own or create any other YouTube channels.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Twitter<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Like every other platform described in this piece, Twitter has double standards for what it deems violative content. And these double standards helped <strong>Twitter notch the third highest count of secondhand censorship<\/strong> in the first quarter compared to other social media platforms.<\/p>\n<p>During the first quarter, Twitter engaged in flagrant bias on both domestic and international political issues, even allowing seven dictators to freely post on the platform, as MRC Free Speech America <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbusters.org\/blogs\/free-speech\/catherine-salgado\/2022\/03\/29\/big-tech-let-seven-dictators-post-including-vladimir\">reported<\/a> in March. The platform\u2019s censorship resulted in users being affected by secondhand censorship <strong>17,065,054 times in the first quarter<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Russian government officials used Twitter, unimpeded, to spread pro-Kremlin propaganda and convince users to support Russia during its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. GOP House lawmakers pointed out this circumstance to platform CEO <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/paraga?lang=en\">Parag Agrawal<\/a> in an April <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepLisaMcClain\/status\/1513897190330183680\">letter<\/a>, noting the inconsistency of the platform\u2019s lax approach toward Russia in light of its permanent ban on Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Twitter not only encourages the spread of tyrannical ideas across its user base, but the company also removed a post showing an example of a death threat Post Millennial Editor-at-Large <a href=\"https:\/\/thepostmillennial.com\/author\/andyngo\/\">Andy Ngo<\/a> said he received.<\/p>\n<p>Twitter <a href=\"https:\/\/censortrack.org\/case\/andy-ngo-2\">prevented<\/a> Ngo\u2019s followers from seeing a distress call he sounded after he said he received an emailed death threat in February. This one action alone resulted in Ngo\u2019s followers being affected by secondhand censorship <strong>976,300 times.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Andy, I&#8217;m hopeful that someone puts a bullet in your head,\u201d the email read. \u201cThat would be hilarious!!!! Die motherf**er&#8230;.. die.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Twitter <a href=\"https:\/\/gettr.com\/post\/pv02ajaea8\">claimed<\/a> it removed the tweet for violating the platform\u2019s rules against posting private information, even though Ngo said he was the victim \u2013 not the aggressor. The Post Millennial <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TPostMillennial\/status\/1494139600507482113\">tweeted<\/a> that an \u201cobviously fake email address\u201d was \u201cattached to\u201d the death threat email.<\/p>\n<p>Twitter\u2019s secondhand censorship took another big splash when the platform censored Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ronjohnson.senate.gov\/https:\/\/www.ronjohnson.senate.gov\/\">Ron Johnson<\/a> (R-WI) for sharing an adverse event comparison of various COVID-19 treatments.<\/p>\n<p>This direct action resulted in secondhand censorship affecting users <strong>290,300 times<\/strong>, as Johnson\u2019s Twitter followers weren\u2019t permitted to read valuable information about potential alternative COVID-19 treatments.<\/p>\n<p>Johnson <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SenRonJohnson\/status\/1478045946034495494\">tweeted<\/a>: &#8220;Sadly, we passed two milestones on VAERS [Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System]. Over 1 million adverse events and over 21,000 deaths. 30% of those deaths occurred on day 0, 1, or 2 following vaccination. When will federal agencies start being transparent with Americans? Why do they continue to ignore early treatment?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Along with his tweet he included a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ronjohnson.senate.gov\/services\/files\/A4A76F9A-9B29-4CF9-B987-F9097A3F4CB7\">graphic<\/a> that compared the number of recorded adverse events, deaths and average deaths per year for Ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, the flu vaccines, dexamethasone, Tylenol, Remdesivir and the COVID-19 vaccines.<\/p>\n<p>Twitter placed a warning label over the tweet calling it &#8220;Misleading,&#8221; and encouraged users to &#8220;Learn why health officials consider COVID-19 vaccines safe for most people.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The platform also restricted users from commenting on, liking, retweeting or sharing the tweet.<\/p>\n<p><strong>CONCLUSION<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Big Tech censorship\u2019s added impacts, otherwise known as secondhand censorship, affect social media users around the world. The practice prevents social media users from learning new information and considering viewpoints that run counter to the leftist narrative on current issues.<\/p>\n<p>Secondhand censorship stunts political conversation, contributed to global division and chaos and eased the ability of the liberal establishment to accelerate its agenda on a wide bevy of topics. Those topics include \u2013 but are by no means limited to \u2013 transgenderism, COVID-19, abortion, race and war.<\/p>\n<p>National policymakers and the American public must act now to end Big Tech companies\u2019 authoritarian practices against those who confront the status quo.<\/p>\n<p>The world\u2019s people deserve it. A thriving American republic necessitates it. Liberty demands it.<\/p>\n<p><em>Heather Moon contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Big Tech in recent years has consistently discriminated against conservatives and independent thinkers by censoring them online. This has affected everyone from the former president of the United<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1574679,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1562860","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1562860","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1562860"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1562860\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1574679"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1562860"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1562860"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1562860"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}