Mark Zuckerberg Says Facebook ‘Balances’ First Amendment Against ‘Other Equities’: ‘There Should be Some Limits on Speech’
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg told senators Wednesday that free speech is an “equity” that should be weighed against other considerations.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said in introducing her question that Facebook is “picking winners and losers” and that the company is “inserting itself” into issue of free speech. “Is the First Amendment a given right, or is that a competing equity?” she asked, referencing Zuckerberg’s earlier commentary.
“I believe strongly in free expression,” Zuckerberg replied. “But I do think that, like all equities, it is balanced against other equities, like safety and privacy. Even people who believe in the strongest possible interpretation of the First Amendment still believe there should be some limits on speech when it could cause an imminent risk of physical harm.”
“Even the people who believe in the strongest possible interpretation of the First Amendment still believe there should be some limits on speech when it could cause risk of imminent physical harm. The kind of famous example that’s used is that you can’t shout fire in a crowded theater,” Zuckerberg added. “So I think that getting those equities right, and the balance right, is the challenge that we face.”
Having agreed in principle that Facebook does involve itself in the process of free speech and making determinations with regard to the “balance” of that First Amendment freedom, Blackburn’s time expired and the discussion had to end.
Facebook has been the subject of criticism by conservatives who have questioned its censorship decisions, most recently for a warning label it appended to an Oct. 14 New York Post story about Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden.
.@Facebook violated its own fact checking policy when it censored the @nypost.
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) October 28, 2020
The Facebook chief appeared before the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday alongside Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Google CEO Sundar Pichai to testify on Section 230, a law protecting their companies from liability for content their users post. Lawmakers are considering whether to reform the law after controversy this year over censorship decisions made by social-media companies.
Watch above via the Senate Commerce Committee.
