Kerby Anderson

Will censorship increase or is the purge of some politicians and political content over? A few argue that now that President Donald Trump is history, and now that a few malcontents have been removed from social media, our leaders can get back to governing. But there are too many voices who seem emboldened by the purges that have taken place. For example, the CEO of Mozilla argued that “de-platforming” people from its services was not enough. He believes that real change “requires more than just the temporary silencing or permanent removal of bad actors.” On a recent CNN program, a former Facebook officer called for carriers like Verizon, AT&T, and others to de-platform One America News Network and Newsmax. At Forbes, the chief content officer warned companies that might consider hiring someone who worked in the Trump administration because he said, “Forbes will assume that everything your company or firm talks about is a lie.” Another editor at Forbes warned that there would be a “truth reckoning” for such companies. Alfredo Ortiz, writing at Real Clear Politics, believes, “Big Tech’s coordinated silencing of conservative voices, including President Trump’s, signals a crossing of the Rubicon in the debate over government involvement to protect free speech.” Although those involved in this purge justify it as a way to prevent further rioting and violence, he believes it is a power grab. Even the ACLU warns, “It should concern everyone when companies like Facebook and Twitter wield the unchecked power to remove people from platforms that have become indispensable for the speech of billions.” It seems to me that a purge has begun. It doesn’t seem to me that it will stop any time soon. Who will it destroy, and when will it stop? Nobody really knows.