Trump Signs Executive Order on Social Media Regulation... Facebook vs Twitter War of Words

Facebook publicly sides with Trump

Zuckerberg: "Private companies should not decide what is true"

Twitter immediately retaliates... Verbal battle continues among industry peers

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jaehee] On the 28th (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order regulating social media (SNS). Initially, tensions escalated between President Trump and Twitter over the 'fact-check label,' but with Facebook publicly siding with President Trump, the situation appears to be turning into a verbal battle between Facebook and Twitter.

According to CNBC and others, President Trump signed the SNS regulation executive order on that day. This executive order includes revising or repealing the Communications Decency Act enacted in 1996. This law forms the foundation for the expansion of internet-based services in the U.S. and grants platform companies legal immunity regarding content posted by third-party users.

President Trump criticized, "SNS companies have unchecked power to censor and restrict information on their platforms, acting like editors publishing their own perspective," and announced plans to amend or repeal this law.

He declared that the law would no longer guarantee the privilege of exempting SNS operating companies from legal responsibility. He also hinted at imposing sanctions on advertisements placed on SNS.

Attorney General William Barr also stated, "We are preparing legislation regarding SNS companies and will file lawsuits against these companies."

President Trump's signing of this executive order targeting SNS companies came amid escalating conflicts with Twitter over his earlier tweets. On the 26th, after President Trump posted a tweet stating, "Mail-in voting can lead to election fraud," Twitter labeled it with a fact-check tag, saying it was a claim that could cause misunderstanding.

President Trump responded, "This is suppressing freedom of expression and political activism."

Following the executive order, Facebook joined the controversy. Publicly siding with President Trump, Facebook openly criticized Twitter, a peer in the same industry. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, said in an interview with Fox News that day, "Private companies operating SNS should not decide what is true about everything people say online." Zuckerberg directly mentioned Twitter, saying, "We have different policies from Twitter."

Despite being embroiled in political controversies for years, Facebook has not issued any warnings so far. In a speech at Georgetown University last October, Zuckerberg expressed his conviction, saying, "In a democracy, private companies do not have the right to censor politicians or news."

Jack Dorsey, co-founder and CEO of Twitter, counterattacked. CEO Dorsey stated on Twitter, "We will continue to point out inaccurate or controversial information about elections," adding, "This is not to turn Twitter into a battleground over what is true, but to provide an environment where users can judge for themselves through accurate information about conflicting statements and controversial issues."

Some view Zuckerberg's criticism of Twitter, a peer company, as an attempt to distance himself in light of President Trump's strengthening of SNS regulations. According to some foreign media reports, technology companies operating SNS are reportedly discussing filing lawsuits in preparation for future legislation based on this executive order.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.