Don't let tech company censoring dictate online content and free speech, report warns

Internet users should be able to choose what content they see instead of tech companies censoring on their behalf, a report said on Wednesday.

Author Michael Shellenberger said the power to filter content should be given to social media and internet users rather than tech firms or governments in a bid to ensure freedom of speech.

In his report Free Speech and Big Tech: The Case for User Control, Mr Shellenberger warned that if governments or large tech companies had power over the legal speech of citizens they would have unprecedented influence over thoughts, opinions and “accepted views” in society.

He warned that attempts to censor the internet to protect the public from disinformation could be abused and end up limiting free speech.

He wrote: “Regulation of speech on social media platforms such as Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, and YouTube has increasingly escalated in attempts to prevent ‘hate speech’, ‘misinformation’ and online ‘harm’.”

The Standard's Freedom of Speech campaign continues (Evening Standard)

This represents a “fundamental shift in our approach to freedom of speech and censorship” he said, warning that legal content was being policed. He added: “The message is clear: potential ‘harm’ from words alone is beginning to take precedence over free speech.”

Mr Shellenberger’s paper is published today ahead of next week’s Alliance for Responsible Citizenship conference in Greenwich, where he will speak along with MPs Kemi Badenoch and Michael Gove. Free speech is one of the themes the conference will cover.

Explaining how his system of “user control” would work, Mr Shellenberger wrote: “When you use Google, YouTube, Facebook, X/Twitter, or any other social media platform, the company would be required to ask you how you want to moderate your content. Would you like to see the posts of the people you follow in chronological or reverse chronological order? Or would you like to use a filter by a group or person you trust?

“On what basis would you like your search results to be ranked? Users would have infinite content moderation filters to choose from. This would require social media companies to allow them the freedom to choose.”