Doubling down on the idea that conservative views are being censored on social media, the White House launched a web form Wednesday afternoon that asks users to report any actions taken against them on platforms like Facebook and Twitter because of their political views.
“Social media platforms should advance freedom of speech,” the White House declared on the web form. “Yet too many Americans have seen their accounts suspended, banned, or fraudulently reported for unclear ‘violations’ of user policies.”
“No matter your views, if you suspect political bias caused such an action to be taken against you, share your story with President Trump,” the text continues.
The web form then asks users to report any actions taken against their accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube or other platforms. In addition, users are asked to submit any screenshots documenting notices of violation, or other supporting evidence they may have.
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Twitter, Facebook and YouTube all have stepped up their efforts against extremism in recent months. Their efforts gained urgency following the terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand, which was perpetrated by a self-identified white supremacist who apparently had been radicalized online and proceeded to live stream the deadly attack on Facebook.
Some of the recent steps include Facebook’s commitment to ban white nationalism, followed by its ban of Infowars and its key anchors, as well as far-right provocateurs Milo Yiannopoulos and Laura Loomer.
Earlier on Wednesday, Facebook announced that it would block users from live streaming if they had violated its rules against terrorist and violent extremist content. The company also joined Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Twitter in signing on to the Christchurch Call to Action, a joint commitment to take further steps against online extremism.
The White House declined to endorse that initiative, arguing in a statement that “the best tool to defeat terrorist speech is productive speech.”