Big Tech has censored conservatives on social media for years now in a near constant battle for the right to exist in the digital age. But now conservative leaders have come together to develop a strategy to take on Big Tech, fight back.
Conservative donors and strategists met at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort last weekend to discuss Big Tech and a possible social media strategy moving forward, according to CNBC. The meeting came after Trump hinted in March at launching his own social media platform, potentially within the next few months.
Matt Schlapp, president of the American Conservative Union (ACU), attended the meeting. “I’m participating in a lot of [conversations] with people who have substantial means, and there are going to be new ways for people to get [their] information and to share information and to stay connected with each other,” he said according to CNBC. Recently, YouTube took down a video of Trump’s CPAC speech from ACU’s channel
Others at the meeting appeared to be optimistic about the possibility of a new platform. “It is something I’m interested in if it can be put together properly,” Roy Bailey, a Texas businessman, told CNBC. “I’ve identified a potential platform and there’s a lot of work to do.” He further noted that the “platform would be where conservatives can control their own destiny and not worry about censorship.”
The attendees also reportedly discussed what to do about the fact that conservatives are “being cancelled by insurance companies and banks,” Schlapp reportedly said. Visa, for example, financially blacklisted the free speech-oriented social media platform Gab.
Trump was banned from at least 10 platforms, including YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Twitch, Stripe, Snapchat, Reddit, TikTok and even Shopify after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. The endeavor to create a new social media platform would not be a first. The free speech site Parler was booted from Apple and Google’s app stores, and even kicked from Amazon’s web hosting services in January.
Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on “hate speech” and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us at the Media Research Center contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
