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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Emails Reveal Biden Administration Coordinated With Facebook, Twitter
Dozens of federal officials across multiple agencies within the Biden administration communicated extensively with social media companies to coordinate censorship of information, according to internal documents released by Republican Attorneys General Eric Schmitt of Missouri and Jeff Landry of Louisiana. Officials within the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services…John Hugh DeMastri -
Twitter Suspension of Libs of TikTok Is Blatant ‘Double Standard,’ Sen. Blackburn Says
Twitter has suspended the Libs of TikTok account, and Sen. Marsha Blackburn says that only further highlights the social media platform’s double standard. “Time and again, we’ve witnessed Big Tech’s double standard against conservatives,” Blackburn, R-Tenn., told The Daily Signal in an email Tuesday. “The Ayatollah is allowed on Twitter without question, but conservatives who…Virginia Allen -
The Media Bias Fight in Britain
Whenever conservative media watchdogs aspire to an argument seeking to expose and correct the distortions of the liberal news outlets, they receive the argument of hypocrisy. “You can’t complain about bias,” they say, “because you’re awfully biased yourself.” This would be a more impressive argument if one was a mirror image of the media, insisting…Tim Graham -
‘Terror Campaign’: Trans Activists Push for Censorship of Discussions on Child Sex Changes
Transgender activists have accused Libs of TikTok and other prominent Twitter users of engaging in “terrorism” in an attempt to have them removed from the platform for criticizing child sex-change procedures. Libs of TikTok, commentator Matt Walsh, Manhattan Institute senior fellow Chris Rufo, and activist Billboard Chris shared several publicly available documents and videos purporting to show that Boston Children’s Hospital was performing sex…Laurel Duggan -
Twitter Vows to Fight ‘Election Misinformation.’ More Censorship Incoming.
In the run-up to November’s midterm elections, Twitter is priming itself to go on a censoring spree in the name of fighting misinformation. What could possibly go wrong? The social media platform made the announcement Thursday that it was “activating enforcement of our Civic Integrity Policy for the 2022 U.S. midterms.” The tech giant said it…Douglas Blair -
Eric Metaxas Says America Needs Faith to Thrive
Can a civilization survive without faith? It’s a question many Americans are considering as a wave of secularism sweeps the nation. There are those that push back against the idea that faith and religion should be involved in the political process. They point to the establishment clause in the Constitution that prevents the government from…Douglas Blair -
Freespoke Offers Users a Search-Engine Alternative to Google
Did you know that an estimated 90% of internet search queries are performed by Google? That is an astonishing statistic when you think about one company's market dominance and ability to shape public opinion through search results. It's also highly problematic if you follow Google's pattern of anti-conservative bias and manipulation of its search algorithm….Rob Bluey -
13 People, Outlets Censored by Twitter for Questioning Gender Ideology
Editor’s note: This commentary, originally published March 23, has been modified to reflect Twitter’s suspensions of psychologist Jordan Peterson and commentator Dave Rubin for their tweets, and to update certain details. Of the many topics the radical left has tried to make verboten, there is none more contentious than gender ideology. At the mere suggestion…Douglas Blair -
New York Attorney General Demands Google Scrub Crisis Pregnancy Centers From Search Results
The office of New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, demanded in a Tuesday letter that Google exclude crisis pregnancy centers from search results about abortion. “A search through Google Maps seeking ‘abortion’ and a location will provide a local listing of both those health care providers who offer abortion services and organizations that…Harold Hutchison -
Justices’ Home Addresses Blasted on Social Media With Zero Consequences
Following the Supreme Court's 5-4 decision Friday to overturn Roe v. Wade, at least two social media sites hosted content revealing the home addresses of the Supreme Court justices. Some posts directly called for people to go to the home addresses and protest, an act that is illegal according to federal law. Popular social media…Douglas Blair -
Hawley Unloads on Biden Administration’s Calls for Censorship
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley criticized the Biden administration for promoting censorship on environmental issues by technology companies during an appearance on Fox News Tuesday. “Laura, this is the most recent example of the most anti-First Amendment administration in American history,” Hawley told host Laura Ingraham of “The Ingraham Angle.” The Missouri senator responded to a…Harold Hutchison -
Republican AGs Set to Speak at Gathering Sponsored by Arabella, Amazon, Facebook
At a time when many Republicans are expressing frustration with what they consider a liberal tilt by one national group that represents state attorneys general, several GOP officials are participating in another coalition of attorneys general with liberal sponsors. The annual meeting of the AG Alliance convened Monday in Sun Valley, Idaho, and is scheduled…Fred Lucas -
Soros-Backed Media Consortium Is Buying, to Censor, Conservative Radio Stations
Wait until Americans with origins in Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and other lands demolished by communism find out that their favorite conservative radio stations are being bought by a media consortium headed by a longtime henchman of the Marxist founder of Black Lives Matter, Alicia Garza. And wait until Mexican Americans, with roots in this country…Mike Gonzalez -
What’s the Metaverse? 3 Things to Know
If the metaverse sounds like something from a science fiction novel, that’s because it is. Neal Stephenson’s 1992 novel “Snow Crash” tells the story of a young man who delivers pizzas in the real world, but is a warrior prince in the virtual metaverse. But 30 years later, the metaverse is moving from the pages…Virginia Allen -
Unchecked by Courts, Government Censorship of Social Media Platforms Will Prove Fatal to Free Speech in Digital Age
The Biden administration’s increasingly aggressive efforts to combat so-called misinformation, along with the prospective acquisition of Twitter by free speech advocate Elon Musk, have sparked a national debate about what role, if any, the government should play in censoring social media. While some have applauded the administration’s campaign to police online “misinformation” about COVID-19 and…Jenin Younes -
Social Media Is Hurting Kids, but a Fix May Be on Horizon
The Big Tech problem is a moral crisis first. As Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts wrote last month: Big Tech is the enemy of the people not merely because they have taken advantage of our free-market principles. They have earned this untoward distinction because of what Big Tech does to us in our relationships with…Kara Frederick -
Biden ‘Disinformation’ Board Gives Ammo to Court Action on Big Tech Censorship, Louisiana AG Says
The Biden administration’s formation of a “disinformation” board has sparked momentum for two states to sue the U.S. government, alleging pressure and collusion with Big Tech corporations to censor political content that challenges the government line. “If we would’ve tried to bring this lawsuit two or three months ago, I think they would’ve laughed us…Fred Lucas -
What Should Be Done About Big Tech Censorship? Panelists Disagree
Panelists at a discussion of censorship by Big Tech agreed it was a grave threat to the American republic, but they clashed over what to do about it. “What these platforms are doing is not right,” said Niam Yaraghi, an assistant professor of business technology at the University of Miami and a Brookings Institution senior…Douglas Blair -
‘Misinformation’: YouTube Censors Donald Trump Speech
Once again, YouTube is trying to affect Americans’ access to the news. Former President Donald Trump spoke at The Heritage Foundation’s Annual Leadership Conference in Florida on April 21. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.) Trump discussed “rising inflation, disruptions in the supply chain, a southern border overrun by ‘millions’…Katrina Trinko -
The Conservative Surge in Twitter Followers—the Elon Musk Effect?
In January, I wrote about a USA Today article centered around a New York University study that supposedly disproved the claim that social media platforms, like Twitter, discriminate against conservatives. USA Today said, “Despite repeated charges of anti-conservative bias from former President Donald Trump and other GOP critics, Facebook, Twitter and Google’s YouTube are not…Larry Elder