(DCWatchdog.com) – Former President Barack Obama has come off the political sidelines and now wants to be a “truth” defender and spokesperson.
When it comes to the 1st Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America, Obama calls himself an “almost absolutist.”
Yet, Obama wants to give a free pass to social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook when it comes to censoring posts by their account holders.
In a speech at Stanford University yesterday, Obama adamantly defended the Constitution’s First Amendment that protects free speech, but he said it covers government interference — not social media platforms.
The former president also said during his globally streamed speech that he believes “content moderation” — what many would call censorship — is a necessary evil with social media needing to stop the spread of “disinformation.”
Currently, social media platforms allow too much misinformation to flow, Obama told his audience. He said he fears that “…we lose our capacity to distinguish between fact, opinion, and wholesale fiction…”
The former law professor of the Constitution, who many believe he ignored when he was in office, is now seeking to be its champion.
Obama laid out his list of five principles he believes are necessary for content moderation that he believes are needed to stop the viral spread of disinformation.
● Whether it strengthens or weakens the prospects for a healthy, inclusive democracy
● Whether it encourages robust debate and respect for our differences
● Whether it reinforces the rule of law and self-governance
● Whether it helps us make collective decisions based on the best available information
● Whether it recognizes the rights and freedoms and dignity of all of our citizens
These five points, Obama stated, were for social media and government enforcement as a means of protecting democracy.
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