IT & Technology News
Reporting on information technology, cybersecurity, and tech policy. The Daily Signal includes analysis, commentary, and opinion on technology’s impact.
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- Opinion
Watch Out for the New Censors
Until the Trump era, there was a pretty broad consensus in America around free speech. If you didn’t like something someone said, you could debate them and prove their point was not worthy. The solution to bad arguments was to use our free speech rights to win an argument. The notion of censoring political debate…Neil Patel -
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Facebook Says Ban on Conversion Therapy to Strike ‘Right Balance’ on Speech, Safety
In response to activists, Instagram and parent company Facebook plan to ban information about “conversion therapy” available for gays and lesbians—but haven’t fully defined the term. In yet another debate over free speech on social media platforms, Instagram and Facebook may end up picking winners and losers in a hotly debated topic. A Facebook representative…Fred Lucas -
- News
Trump Administration Weighs Banning TikTok, Other Chinese Apps
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday that the Trump administration is strongly considering banning TikTok and other Chinese apps. “We are taking this very seriously. We are certainly looking at it,” Pompeo told Fox News after being asked about whether President Donald Trump is making a move against the company. His comments come as national security…Chris White -
- Opinion
The New Censors
Do you say what you think? That’s risky! You may get fired! You’ve probably heard about a New York Times editor resigning after approving an opinion piece by Sen. Tom Cotton that suggested the military to step in to end riots. Many Times reporters tweeted out the same alarmist wording, “Running this puts Black NY…John Stossel -
- Opinion
YouTube Weaponizes ‘Hate Speech’ Policy to Censor Heritage Foundation Video
On Oct. 9, Walt Heyer took the stage at a Heritage Foundation event called the Summit on Protecting Children from Sexualization. His powerful testimony captivated the audience. It was so powerful, in fact, that YouTube, a subsidiary of Google, is now censoring his words. The event, co-sponsored with the Family Policy Alliance, was a half-day…Rob Bluey -
- Opinion
What You Need to Know About Trump’s Social Media Executive Order
President Donald Trump signed a new executive order on social media Thursday. Klon Kitchen, director of the Center for Technology Policy at The Heritage Foundation, joins the podcast to discuss what the order does, how it affects tech companies, and the future of free political speech online. Read the lightly edited transcript, pasted below, or…Katrina Trinko -
- News
Ukraine Extends Quarantine on Russian Social Media
KYIV, Ukraine—Although Ukraine began to ease off its national coronavirus lockdown last week, the country’s ongoing quarantine against Russian disinformation remains in full force. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved a measure Friday extending for another three years a national ban on Russian social media sites, email services, and internet search engines. Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna…Nolan Peterson -
- Opinion
What Does Facebook’s New Oversight Board Mean for Conservative Posts?
Facebook recently announced the first 20 members of its new oversight board. The role of the board is to guide Facebook through decisions on what controversial content should be allowed to stay up or be deleted. Michael McConnell, professor and director of the Constitutional Law Center at Stanford Law School and a co-chair of Facebook’s…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
Sen. Cruz Seeks to Flip the SCRIPT on Hollywood’s Kowtowing to Chinese Censors
A bill proposed by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, that seeks to dissuade Hollywood studios from submitting their movies to the censorship of the People’s Republic of China seems to strike the right policy balance. It would limit government interference in businesses decisions, but exposes an outrage that most Americans likely are unaware of. The Stopping…Helle Dale -
- Opinion
Liberal Media’s Double Standard: Censor Trump’s Briefings, Air China’s Propaganda
The lack of regular White House press briefings used to be decried as the end of democracy. Now it’s daily White House briefings that represent the end of democracy. Actress Jane Lynch demanded on Twitter on Monday that President Donald Trump end his daily press briefings and that the media stop covering them. Lest one…Jarrett Stepman -
- News
9th Circuit Rules Facebook, YouTube Not Bound by First Amendment
Facebook, YouTube, and other big tech companies are not bound to abide by the First Amendment of the Constitution, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday, dealing a blow to conservatives online. The decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals came in a case brought by Prager University, a nonprofit that produces videos promoting…Chris White -
- Opinion
Facebook Isn’t Broken. Government Shouldn’t ‘Fix’ It.
In a divided Washington, hating Facebook has brought the left and right together. It’s a dangerous collaboration. But when you take a closer look at the complaints lodged by each side, you see how thin their arguments really are. Most of the left-wing criticism of Facebook amounts to criticisms of human nature. People lie. People…Casey Mattox -
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Facebook Announces Effort to Clearly Mark Fake News
Facebook announced Monday an effort to “protect the 2020 U.S. elections” by clearly marking fake news posts, offering protections to politicians’ accounts and offering more transparency. The effort comes after Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg defended the social media site’s new advertisement policies, which will effectively allow political campaigns to release misinformation to voters, in an…Audrey Conklin -
- Opinion
What Changed Eric Metaxas’ Mind About Trump
Conservative Christians have been a core constituency for President Donald Trump, and one of the more visible Christians supporting the president is bestselling author and radio host Eric Metaxas. Our Editor-in-Chief Kate Trinko recently got to sit down with Metaxas to discuss why he supports the president, as well as his latest book. Today, we’ll…Katrina Trinko -
- Opinion
Conservatives Are Being Censored Online, Warns Dennis Prager
Dennis Prager’s commentary is in high demand. His PragerU videos get millions of views on social media, and his audience is growing. But not everyone likes his message. He’s run into censorship trouble with YouTube, which led him to file a lawsuit. Our colleague Virginia Allen recently sat down with Prager, and today we’ll share…Virginia Allen -
- News
Trump Jilts Google in Copyright Dispute at Supreme Court
The Trump administration has urged the Supreme Court to stay out of a long-running copyright dispute between Google and Oracle Corp., dealing a considerable blow to Google’s efforts to avoid an $8 billion damages award. At issue in the dispute, billed as the copyright fight of the decade, are software interfaces called API declarations, which…Kevin Daley -
- Opinion
ICE-Hating Groups Used Facebook to Incite Violence
Abolish ICE thugs in Colorado want to see the homes and families of immigration enforcement officials set aflame. Denver communists want alien detention facility employees dead, swinging from nooses with broken necks. Both groups are brazenly using Facebook to spread their inflammatory and violent messages. So, where is Silicon Valley—whose top companies partner with the…Michelle Malkin -
- Opinion
The Good News the Mainstream Media Doesn’t Report
I rarely watch cable news anymore. It’s all hysteria, all the time. CNN: “We are destroying the planet.” MSNBC: “The middle class is disappearing!” President Donald Trump says drug trafficking “is worse than ever!” I’m glad my favorite magazine, Reason, cuts through the gloom and tells us the truth: There is less war and more…John Stossel -
- News
Google Defends YouTube Restrictions on PragerU’s Educational Videos in Federal Court
A lawyer representing PragerU in federal court says Google’s reasons for denying some viewers access to videos produced by the conservative education organization on the tech giant’s YouTube subsidiary defy belief. “To suggest that PragerU’s content is obscene, violent, hate speech is an absolute insult to the intelligence of the American public and people like…Rachel del Guidice -
- Opinion
Exclusive: Jon Kyl Spoke to 133 Conservatives About Facebook Bias. He Reveals the Findings and Rebuts His Critics.
Last year, Facebook hired former Sen. Jon Kyl, senior counsel at the firm Covington & Burling, to investigate allegations of anti-conservative bias at the social media company. In his first interview since its release, Kyl tells The Daily Signal what he discovered and how Facebook should move forward. He also responds to criticism of the…Rob Bluey