Republicans, Democrats both aim to restrict free speech on social media

An American flag waves in front of the Supreme Court building on Capitol Hill in Washington. The court has agreed to hear cases that involve state and federal governments trying to shape private content moderation decisions. (Patrick Semansky/AP file)

According to the Biden administration, federal officials who urged social media companies to suppress “misinformation” about COVID-19 and other subjects were merely asking platforms like Facebook and Twitter to enforce their own rules.

But according to the social media users whose speech was stifled as a result of that campaign, it crossed the line between permissible government advocacy and censorship by proxy.