The right to freedom of speech is one of the central pillars of a free country, so one might believe that right would take up more space in the US Constitution than just one line: “Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech”. That is freedom of speech in its entirety. However, many believe that this line somehow gives them the right to say anything without facing the consequences.
Your speech is protected from the government. Congress cannot make laws that restrict your speech, and if they did, the Courts should promptly strike them down. This protection does not apply to a private business like Twitter. When the right complains that they are being censored, that is true. The spread of hate speech and misinformation should be mitigated, and more effectively than how Twitter and Facebook are currently doing it. But their right to free speech is not being restricted. Twitter and Facebook are not required to allow Nazis to use their platforms.
The key word here is “government”: If a private company or citizen does not like what you have to say, they are under no obligation to listen to (or spread) your message.
Written by Andrew Tyrell-Smith
Artwork by Zara Masood
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