Trump: "SNS Can Censor You Too" ... WSJ Op-Ed

▲Former U.S. President Donald Trump [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who has launched lawsuits against major social networking service (SNS) companies such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google, asserted the legitimacy of the lawsuits by stating that they are "to restore freedom of expression for myself and all Americans."

In an op-ed published in The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the same day, former President Trump pointed out, "One of the most serious threats to our democracy today is the powerful group of Big Tech companies that collaborate with the government to censor freedom of expression," adding, "This is not only wrong but also unconstitutional."

He continued, "Just as town hall meetings, newspapers, and TV served that role for previous generations, SNS has risen to an important position in exercising freedom of expression," but criticized, "Big Tech platforms are becoming increasingly brazen in discriminating against and censoring ideas and information."

He particularly accused Big Tech companies of going beyond merely removing dangerous information to manipulating and controlling political debates, citing content related to COVID-19 as an example.

Former President Trump said, "Big Tech companies banned users from their platforms for presenting evidence that the coronavirus originated from a Chinese laboratory, but even the media now acknowledge that it might be true."

He added, "Perhaps the most egregious act was that Big Tech companies suspended the social media accounts of the sitting president in the week following the election," arguing, "If they could do that to me (who was the sitting president at the time), they can do it to you as well."

Former President Trump claimed that Big Tech companies have become government agents censoring unauthorized ideas and emphasized, "I will never stop fighting to protect the rights guaranteed by the Constitution and the sacred freedoms of the American people."

Earlier, on the 6th, former President Trump held a press conference and announced that he had filed a lawsuit in the Southern District Court of Florida against Facebook, Twitter, and Google, which had suspended his accounts.

After the November presidential election last year, Trump continued to claim election fraud through social media but had all his accounts suspended in January this year following the federal Capitol riot by his supporters.

During his tenure, he maintained uneasy relations not only with social media but also with mainstream media outlets; however, WSJ, which published this op-ed, is owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch and has been considered relatively favorable to former President Trump.

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