It looks like the age-old debate over Big Tech censorship is back in the spotlight as the 2024 election cycle heats up. Now, this isn't just about algorithms and automated systems; this is about who gets to control the flow of information, and lately, it seems the control leans in one particular direction. Let’s dive into the recent controversies that have stirred the pot.
First up, remember the Hunter Biden laptop story from 2020? Back then, Meta (formerly known as Facebook) decided to deplatform the New York Post for reporting on it, claiming it could be Russian disinformation. Fast forward to now, and we know that story was true. This was a prime example of Big Tech stepping in to decide what the public should or shouldn’t know, and it left a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths.
Trump just posted this on Truth slamming Facebook and Google for suppressing the story on his attempted ass*ss*nation.
ELECTION INTERFERENCE pic.twitter.com/nuNZ2DKhKv
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) July 30, 2024
More recently, Google found itself under fire when users noticed that typing “Trump assassination attempt” into the search bar brought up, well, nothing. Zilch. Nada. But when similar phrases were entered for other public figures like RFK or Harry Truman, search results popped up immediately. People were quick to cry foul, accusing Google of censorship. Google, of course, denied any manual tampering, chalking it up to an algorithmic quirk. But let’s be real—how many of these so-called “quirks” can you chalk up to coincidence?
UPDATE: This has been resolved. A "false positive." https://t.co/JRfmJiiqWx
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) July 29, 2024
And then, there’s the issue with Facebook (again). After the shocking assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally, a photo of Trump defiantly standing and pumping his fist, even with blood streaming down his face, went viral. It’s an image that will undoubtedly be etched in history. But here’s the kicker—Facebook initially flagged the photo as misinformation and even threatened to deplatform the user who posted it. Only after an outcry did Facebook admit it was a “mistake.” It makes you wonder—why do these mistakes almost always seem to affect conservative content?
BREAKING: Facebook is now censoring the iconic image of Trump's defiant fist
It's now flagged as MISINFORMATION pic.twitter.com/ePUl5kuMw6
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) July 29, 2024
These incidents are piling up as we approach the election, each time with Big Tech companies claiming their errors are purely accidental and not politically motivated. Yet, the pattern is hard to ignore. It feels like every time, the so-called “mistakes” conveniently align against one side of the political spectrum.
And speaking of tech, even AI isn’t free from scrutiny. When asked about the Trump assassination attempt, ChatGPT provided some outdated and misleading information. While it did include a disclaimer about not being a real-time news source, it’s a bit unsettling that it failed to mention such a significant event correctly. It begs the question—are we too quick to trust these new technologies?