SXSW 2020
The GOP’s New War on Tech
Description:
Republicans are furious. Trump and leading congressional Republicans insist social media services, controlled by “liberal elites,” are censoring conservative speech. Republicans now insist social media sites and search engines must be “neutral,” claiming a 1996 law intended to encourage websites to remove offensive content actually requires political neutrality. They even claim big tech websites have become “public fora” where the First Amendment protects everyone’s right to speak.
So what’s really going on here? Is there an underlying problem that the government needs to fix it? Or have Republicans just found a new “culture war” issue to use against the Left? What should people in the tech world do about it? Is dialogue still possible?
Related Media
Other Resources / Information
Takeaways
- Is this the beginning of a long war between the GOP and tech, or will it fade away when Trump leaves office?
- Is there anything real to conservative bias claims, or is it just political opportunism to open a new front in the culture war?
- Are tech companies doing a good or bad job in their outreach to conservatives? How can they do better?
Speakers
- Berin Szoka, President, TechFreedom
- Paula Bolyard, Managing Editor, PJ Media
- Lyndsey Fifield, Social Media Manager, Heritage Foundation
- Garrett Johnson, Executive director and co-founder, Lincoln Network
Organizer
Zach Graves, Head of Policy, Lincoln Network
SXSW reserves the right to restrict access to or availability of comments related to PanelPicker proposals that it considers objectionable.
Add Comments