When a Bunch of Guys in Silicon Valley Decide What We Can and Cannot Say

Ma’ariv, Israel, January 16

2021 is off to a dramatic start. Facebook and Twitter, the two technology giants, decided to shut down the US president by banning his social media accounts and expelling him from the platform. A quick analysis of the responses to this move reveals that it enjoyed widespread public support, especially among elites, who explained that it was “necessary in order to protect democracy.” However, a closer examination of what happened reveals that this censorship is everything but democratic. If only a decade ago someone would have told us that a handful of young white males from Palo Alto, California would define for all of us the boundaries of political discourse and free speech we would think that person was hallucinating. So why are most of us too blind to see what’s going on here? People tend to judge situations from the point of view of whether they like the person at the core of an issue, or not. Everyone who hates Trump celebrated the move, and everyone who supports him condemned it. But that’s not the question at hand. Until only a few weeks ago, Mark Zuckerberg claimed that Facebook is nothing more than a “platform.” Now, all of the sudden, he is capable of setting policy for all of us? Yes, there is no doubt that Trump’s behavior is concerning and should be condemned by anyone who cares about democracy. There is no doubt whatsoever about that. But are we ready for private companies operating out of Silicon Valley to delineate the ethical standards by which our societies operate? The American technology giants have far exceeded their legitimate role. They now determine not only what photos and advertisements we see, which political posts we read, and which products we buy — but now also what we are and aren’t allowed to say. Have no doubt, these social media platforms have no desire to build a more just and egalitarian world. They only have a single objective: to generate more revenue and increase the wealth of their shareholders. Unfortunately, the fact that our societies have become so politically divided only serves to empower these platforms, which benefit off of our divisions and continue to make a fortune off of our polarization. –Liraz Margalit (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)