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| Trump invites far-right internet figures to discuss bias at ‘social media summit’ | Trump invites far-right internet figures to discuss bias at ‘social media summit’ |
| (about 8 hours later) | |
| The White House has invited a number of social media pundits and Republican lawmakers to discuss “opportunities and challenges” of the internet – but critics say the event is “a circus” that will create more problems than it will solve. | The White House has invited a number of social media pundits and Republican lawmakers to discuss “opportunities and challenges” of the internet – but critics say the event is “a circus” that will create more problems than it will solve. |
| The White House has released few details about Thursday’s event, but the meeting is the latest move from the Trump administration in response to its claims of bias against conservative voices on social media platforms. In May, the White House launched a tool to allow users to report if they felt they had been censored on websites such as Facebook and Twitter. | The White House has released few details about Thursday’s event, but the meeting is the latest move from the Trump administration in response to its claims of bias against conservative voices on social media platforms. In May, the White House launched a tool to allow users to report if they felt they had been censored on websites such as Facebook and Twitter. |
| Twitter shares surge as Trump accuses it of 'political games' | Twitter shares surge as Trump accuses it of 'political games' |
| But the Trump administration did not include any representatives from major social media firms – including Facebook, Twitter or Google – to the event Thursday, instead inviting a mix of inflammatory internet personalities including rightwing Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe, pro-Trump activist Bill Mitchell, college Republican activist Charlie Kirk and Ben Garrison, a rightwing cartoonist who agreed not to attend amid widespread criticism from one of his virulently antisemitic cartoons. | |
| Because no stakeholders from the social media companies being criticized were invited to the event, it amounts to “more of a press conference than a summit”, said Joan Donovan, director of the Technology and Social Change Research Project at Harvard’s Shorenstein Center. | |
| “Ultimately what is going on here is we are seeing a new form of adversarial media take shape,” she said. “Many of the people who are attending are avowedly partisan, and by banding together they are going to say they should be allowed to remain on platforms even if they break the terms of service.” | “Ultimately what is going on here is we are seeing a new form of adversarial media take shape,” she said. “Many of the people who are attending are avowedly partisan, and by banding together they are going to say they should be allowed to remain on platforms even if they break the terms of service.” |
| Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that policies on major social media platforms and websites such as Google discriminate against conservatives. In May, the president tweeted support of far-right figures banned from Facebook and said he was “monitoring and watching, closely!!” In June, he tweeted that Twitter should let conservatives back on the platform, saying: “It’s called Freedom of Speech, remember.” Senator Ted Cruz is holding a hearing next week centered on allegations that Google censors conservative voices. | |
| Facebook’s terms of service ban individuals and organizations that “promote or engage in violence and hate, regardless of ideology”, which the company cited when it removed a number of rightwing pundits in May. Twitter’s terms of service prohibit “hateful conduct”, including threats or harassment on the basis of race, sexual orientation, gender or religion. It also bans “threats, glorifications of violence, bullying, targeted harassment and the incitement of others to harass”. | |
| Social justice groups have warned the summit on Thursday could call attention away from these rules and intimidate technology companies into allowing hate speech on their platforms. Muslim Advocates said it is encouraging social media platforms to ignore the summit on Thursday and instead focus on their content moderation strategies. | Social justice groups have warned the summit on Thursday could call attention away from these rules and intimidate technology companies into allowing hate speech on their platforms. Muslim Advocates said it is encouraging social media platforms to ignore the summit on Thursday and instead focus on their content moderation strategies. |
| “Enforcing basic standards of decency on social media isn’t censoring conservative speech. After all, countless conservatives continue to use these platforms without spreading bigotry,” the group said. | “Enforcing basic standards of decency on social media isn’t censoring conservative speech. After all, countless conservatives continue to use these platforms without spreading bigotry,” the group said. |
| The group is asking people to sign a petition calling on social media companies to ban hate speech. | The group is asking people to sign a petition calling on social media companies to ban hate speech. |
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