WE ARE ZEROING IN ON THE
CENSORSHIP PART OF BIG TECH.
NEW POLL FROM HARRIS SHOWS 59%
OF AMERICANS SAY CAPITOL HILL
RIOTS ARE BEING USED AS AN
EXCUSE TO SILENCE VOICES ON THE
RIGHT.
41% SAY THE REACTION IS A
LEGITIMATE RESPONSE TO THE
VIOLENCE WE SAW ON JANUARY 6th
JANUARY 6th.
THE SAME POLL SHOWS 59% THINK
INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA
PLATFORMS HAVE TOO MUCH POWER
OVER OF AMERICA’S FREE SPEECH.
ONLY 10% SAID THERE’S TOO LITTLE
POWER WITH 31% SAYING IT’S JUST
ABOUT THE RIGHT AMOUNT.
JOINING ME RIGHT NOW IS FORMER
SENIOR ADVISOR TO THE CLINTONS
AND THE PRESIDENT AND MANAGING
PARTNER OF THE STAGWELL GROUP,
MARK PENN.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
WHAT WAS YOUR BIG TAKE-AWAY FROM
YOUR MOST RECENT POLLING?
>> I THINK THE BIG TAKE-AWAY IS
EXACTLY WHAT YOU SAID.
MOST PEOPLE THINK TECH COMPANIES
HAVE TOO MUCH POWER NOW AND THAT
THERE’S GOING TO HAVE TO BE SOME
KIND OF REGULATION OF THAT POWER
WHEN IT COMES TO SPEECH.
I THINK EVERYONE IN THE POLL
CONDEMNED THE VIOLENCE AT THE
CAPITOL BUT THEY DO THINK AS YOU
POINTED OUT, ALMOST 60% BELIEVE
THAT IT’S BEING USED AS AN
EXCUSE TO CLAMP DOWN ON FREE
SPEECH.
MARIA: YEAH.
BECAUSE NOW, MARK, WHAT DO YOU
HEAR THE BUZZ WORDS IN
WASHINGTON, YOU’RE HEARING
DOMESTIC TERRORISM, TRYING TO
PUT EVERYBODY IN THIS BUCKET OF
BEING A DOMESTIC TERRORIST, IF
YOU SAY SOMETHING THAT MAY
QUESTION ANY OF THEIR
NARRATIVES.
I MEAN, THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS
THING WHAT WE’RE HEARING NOW
ABOUT DOMESTIC TERRORISM.
>> WELL, I THINK YOU SEE IN THE
POLL, WHILE PEOPLE DID WANT
ACTION TAKEN AGAINST PRESIDENT
TRUMP WITH NARROW MAJORITY, MOST
PEOPLE NOW UPON REFLECTION SAY
HEY, IT WAS WRONG FOR THE HUNTER
BIDEN STORY NOT TO PLAY, IT’S
WRONG FOR SENATORS TO BE TAKEN
OFF, THEY DO THINK TECH
COMPANIES HAVE GONE TOO FAR.
MAYBE THEY NEED REGULATION.
I PERSONALLY THINK WE NEED
SOMETHING LIKE AN INTERNET
COMMERCE COMMISSION.
I THINK WE NEED A GROUP OF
EXPERTS THAT CAN KEEP UP WITH
TECHNOLOGY.
HOW IT’S AFFECTING PEOPLE AND
CALL BALLS AND STRIKES HERE TO
MAKE SURE THAT THINGS ARE FAIR
BECAUSE OUR TECHNOLOGY SYSTEM IS
AS IMPORTANT AS OUR ELECTION
SYSTEM IN TERMS OF NEEDING TO
HAVE INTEGRITY.
MARIA: YEAH.
THAT’S RIGHT.
AND THIS SYSTEM, THIS INDUSTRY
IS A LOT MORE DANGEROUS OR
DOMINANT THAN IT WAS BACK IN
1996 WHEN THE TELECOM ACT FIRST
WENT IN PLACE AND GAVE THEM THAT
LIABILITY THAT THEY CAN’T BE
SUED, SENSE SECTION 230.
I WANT TO BRING LEE CARTER IN
HERE.
THE SAME POLL ALSO SHOWED
THERE’S A BIT OF A DIVIDE IN HOW
THE PLATFORMS ARE BEING USED
WITH THE CENSORSHIP DECISIONS.
51% OF RESPONDERS SAID SOCIAL
MEDIA IS EXERCISING GOOD
JUDGMENT IN EXCLUDING VOICES.
49% SAY THEY’RE PLAYING PARTISAN
POLITICS.
LEE, JUMP IN HERE, GIVE US YOUR
REACTION.
LEE: IN MY OPINION IT SHOWS HOW
DIVIDED WE ARE, BASED ON WHERE
YOU SIT IS HOW YOU’RE GOING TO
VIEW THIS REACTION BY SOCIAL
MEDIA COMPANIES.
YOU’RE EITHER GOING TO SAY IT’S
APPROPRIATE OR NOT.
IF IT AGREES WITH YOUR WORLD
VIEW.
SO I THINK IT CAN BOTH BE TRUE
THAT PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT SOCIAL
MEDIA HAS GONE TOO FAR AND
PEOPLE ALSO CAN BLAME TRUMP FOR
WHAT HAPPENED.
I DON’T THINK IT’S AN EITHER/OR.
I THINK THE TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES
REALLY NEED TO BE CAREFUL RIGHT
NOW BECAUSE THEY ARE -- I MEAN,
IT’S GOING TO BE REALLY POPULAR
TO REGULATE THEM, POPULAR TO
COME DOWN HARD ON THEM.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT HOW PEOPLE USE
FREE SPEECH.
I’M CURIOUS, MARK, IF YOU WERE
GOING TO BE ADVISING THESE
COMPANIES AS A CORPORATE
ADVISOR, BECAUSE I KNOW YOU DO
THAT AS WELL, WHAT WOULD YOU
TELL THEM ON HOW TO PREPARE FOR
WHAT’S ABOUT TO COME?
>> WELL, I THINK THAT ANY
COMPANY AND TECH COMPANIES HAVE
TO BALANCE THE RIGHT OF FREE
SPEECH WITH THEIR OBLIGATION TO
REMOVE GENUINELY OBJECTIONABLE
CONTENT OR CONTENT THAT PROMOTES
VIEVIOLENCE.
BUT THAT MEANS HAVING A STANDARD
THAT MAY NOT BE AS BROAD AS THE
FIRST AMENDMENT BUT IS MUCH
CLOSER TO IT THAN SOME OF WHAT
WE’RE SEEING AND IT MEANS HAVING
AN APPEAL MECHANISM AND NOTICE
AND ABILITY FOR PEOPLE TO GET
BACK ON PLATFORMS.
RIGHT NOW IT’S THE WILD WEST OF
COMPANIES MAKING DECISIONS
WITHOUT ANY REAL INFORMATION TO
PEOPLE AND NOT WANTING TO
EXPLAIN THOSE DECISIONS AND I
THINK THAT’S RAISED REAL
QUESTIONS HERE AS YOU SEE PEOPLE
THINK THE TECH COMPANIES HAVE
TOO MUCH POWER, THAT THEY’RE
CONCERNED THAT WE’RE GOING TO
HAVE TO HAVE REGULATION AND I
THINK BACK IN ’96 WHEN WE PUT
THIS CLAUSE INTO EFFECT, WE ALSO
PUT THE VOLUNTARY RATING SYSTEM
INTO EFFECT BECAUSE AT THAT TIME
WE WERE MOSTLY CONCERNED ABOUT
THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY.
NOW WE’RE CONCERNED ABOUT THE
TECH INDUSTRY AND IT’S EITHER
GOT TO BE VOLUNTARY OR IT’S
GOING TO HAVE TO BE REGULATED
BUT I DON’T THINK IT CAN STAY
THE WAY IT IS.
MARIA: SO YOU THINK THAT WE
WILL SEE REGULATION THEN, MARK?
DO YOU THINK THEY WILL BE ABLE
TO ROLL BACK SECTION 230 OR THEY
WON’T DO IT BECAUSE THE
DEMOCRATS ARE IN CONTROL?
>> WELL, I THINK SECTION 230 MAY
COME UNDER LEGAL ATTACK.
IT MAY TURN OUT TO BE AN
UNCONSTITUTIONAL LAW THAT
CONGRESS HAS MADE, THAT BRIDGES
FREE SPEECH.
I DO THINK THAT YOU’RE GOING TO
SEE SOME LITIGATION REALLY
AROUND THAT AND BACK IN ’96 AND
I WAS WORKING WITH PRESIDENT
CLINTON DURING THAT TIME, THE
IDEA WAS THAT THESE PLATFORMS
WOULD BE OPEN, WE NEVER IMAGINED
THAT THE PLATFORMS WOULD BE USED