The U.S. Constitution guarantees Americans the right to free speech, a freedom that includes the right to question the government and offer differing opinions. Facebook, Twitter, and the Biden Administration have been working together to obstruct Americans’ First Amendment rights by suspending the accounts of people who raise issues that they don’t want the public to see.
The Liberty Justice Center is fighting back against these violations in Hart v. Facebook, a federal lawsuit filed against Facebook, Twitter, U.S. President Joe Biden, and the U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. The case was filed on behalf of data analyst and digital strategist Justin Hart, who has had his Facebook and Twitter accounts were suspended multiple times for sharing data and scientific research about COVID that challenged the views endorsed by the Biden Administration.
Most recently, Hart’s accounts were temporarily locked for posting an infographic that pointed out the lack of scientific research behind young children wearing masks to prevent the spread of COVID. Why posts like Hart’s, which were based on credible sources, were targeted became clearer after a White House press briefing in July.
At the briefing, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki revealed that senior White House staff was “in regular touch” with Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms regarding posts about COVID-19 and that the Surgeon General’s office was “flagging problematic posts for Facebook that spread” what the administration has unilaterally declared as “disinformation.”
Such censorship might almost seem prudent, until you consider that there is rarely such a thing as a lasting consensus on public health issues, and that “follow the science” suggests science is not static; it moves.
“We have all seen how public health authorities and medical experts have changed their views countless times regarding the threat of COVID and how to treat and control it, so the notion that the White House is now going to dictate to our largest media platforms what is communicated about the disease is dangerous and illegal,” said Brian Kelsey, managing attorney at the Liberty Justice Center.
