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Nigel Farage: Social Media Platforms Are Becoming Publishers, Selective In Allowing Content

Fox News 8/7/2018

Mike Brest Reporter
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Nigel Farage, the former leader of the UK Independence Party, discussed the long term implications of social media platforms’ censorship during a segment of “Tucker Carlson Tonight” on Tuesday.

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“Mark Zuckerberg has always claimed that the Facebook was a platform for all ideas. Fine. In doing that, he says I’m not a publisher, I’m just a means of people putting out people’s messages,” Farage said.

“If you believe in free speech, if you believe in your First Amendment rights, people should be allowed to do this. I would say that by banning Jones and by shadow banning many others, Facebook and others are now effectively becoming a publisher,” he continued. “That means because they are taking editorial decisions, they should be open to being sued as other media organizations are.”

Farage’s comments come just days after conservative pundit Candace Owens was suspended on Twitter, although Twitter has since come out and said it was accidental. (RELATED: Twitter Suspends Candace Owens – Then Says It Was ‘An Error’ After Backlash)

“If you are a platform for all ideas, you are not a publisher. That is the point and what Zuckerberg and what other tech giants are trying to do, is they’re now trying to have it both ways. On the one hand they claim, we are not publishers, we’re not open to libel because we let everybody give their opinion. But on the other, they now in a very sinister way, are starting to ban and shadow ban people,” Farage added.