The Democrat-controlled Senate proposed a new bill to censor and police Americans’ First Amendment rights.
Brought forth by Democrat Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO), the “Digital Platform Commission Act (DPCA)” would flag misinformation and hate speech on the internet.
The bill creates a federal agency to do nothing but the mandate and enforce guardrails against people who spread so-called “misinformation,” giving out consequences for information Democrats deem wrong.
The bill would violate the American Constitution.
“It’s past time for a thoughtful and comprehensive approach to regulating digital platforms that have amassed extraordinary power over our economy, society, and democracy,” Bennet said. “We don’t have to choose between letting digital platforms write their own rules, allowing competitors like China and the E.U. write those rules, or leaving it to politicians in Congress. Instead, we should follow the long precedent in American history of empowering an expert body to protect the public interest through common sense rules and oversight for complex and powerful sectors of the economy.”
If passed by Congress, the Federal Digital Platforms Commission would have five commissioners appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. The Commission would have the authority to promulgate regulations, impose civil penalties, hold hearings, conduct investigations, and support research.
However, the bill lacks specific details on how it would not infringe upon free speech. Instead, it relies on government-appointed “experts” to decide whether something is “misinformation” or not.
As Democrats praise censoring speech that fails to align with their progressive agenda, Republicans sound the alarm on the party’s plan to restrict God-given rights.
Constitutional attorney Harmeet Dhillon called the bill “unconstitutional… evil and stupid,” while Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) highlighted the hypocrisy of the Democrat-backed bill saying, saying that the “largest area of misinformation is coming from the government.”
This is unconstitutional, also evil and stupid. https://t.co/zmaEvMLbvL
— Harmeet K. Dhillon (@pnjaban) May 19, 2023