Whether we like it or not, our favorite social media brand isn't quite as perfect and unbiased as we would all like to think. Facebook's current censorship policies infringe on our First Amendment rights as United States citizens to freedom of speech and freedom of the press, and we must do something to stop it.
Back in January of 2015, Facebook launched a new policy that allowed users to block/report posts by others that they deemed as false. Although on the surface this appears to be a good, easy way to block inappropriate and false stories/posts, this gives users the power to block anything and everything they don't agree with by simply reporting that it's "spam" or that it "doesn't belong on Facebook." If enough users band together and report a post they simply don't agree with, the post will be blocked and the person who initially posted the status/story's opinion will be silenced, thus infringing on their, and possibly your, first amendment right to free speech.
In terms of infringing on our right to freedom of the press, Facebook has an immense amount of power when it comes to the news stories that it shares, especially in its trending section; nobody outside of those who run it really knows how it works. Facebook could technically censor any news story it wanted to, only sharing those that the company supports and agrees with. It's whole editing process is sketchy, as we don't really know if it's an algorithm or person deciding which stories are appropriate and which aren't. This has led many to claim that Facebook needs a legitimate editor.
We, as good American citizens, cannot let this continue, and must band together and petition for Facebook to get a new, legitimate editor! Everyone's voice deserves to be heard, and every true news story has the right to be seen and shared freely. We cannot let this infringement continue any longer.
