Politics

Dem Congressional Candidate’s Platform Calls For Clamping Down On ‘Disinformation’

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Democratic congressional candidate Will Rollins is campaigning on clamping down on so-called “disinformation” online, according to one of his main policy platforms.

Rollins is vying for a seat in California’s toss-up 41st District against incumbent Republican Rep. Ken Calvert, and one of the pillars of his campaign is safeguarding democracy by focusing on holding “disinformation” spreaders accountable, according to the platform on his campaign website. He details that social media companies should not be granted immunity for the harmful content that circulates on their platforms, criticizing the fact that false content generates profits for them as well as media publications.

The California Democrat is a former federal prosecutor and prosecuted rioters who entered the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2020, calling them “insurrectionists” in a statement on his website.

Rollins is pledging to push for greater censorship to stop those “profiting by spreading division based on lies.” Of course, the former assistant U.S. Attorney suggests that he will know who is lying and who should be allowed to speak freely… https://t.co/ZCYosQjz5u

— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) November 7, 2023

“Extremists, Big Tech, and media outlets are profiting by spreading division based on lies, even as they erode our democracy and make it easier for adversaries like China and Russia to exploit us,” according to Rollins’ campaign website.

Following the Jan. 6, 2020 Capitol Riot, Russia, Iran, and China attempted to take advantage of division in the U.S. through disseminating hateful content on social media, according to Rollins’ campaign website.

One part of his plan to tackle “disinformation” is to “update regulations to break down information bubbles and propaganda networks to protect the public’s right to be informed,” according to his platform. Another aspect of it is to “create accountability for harmful lies and conspiracy theories amplified by Big Tech.”

“Just like any other business, tech companies should not have blanket immunity when their own software amplifies violence, lies, threats, and foreign disinformation that cause economic and physical harm to the American people,” it states.

Rollins also wants to establish advertising “transparency” and produce a “modern fairness doctrine” to make it more likely that multiple perspectives on important topics will have representation. This would help ensure that the public gets accurate information rather than “brainwashing.”

Rollins used to specialize in handling counterterrorism and counterintelligence cases in Southern California when he was prosecutor, according to the biography on his campaign website.

Over 50% of Democratic voters believe it is important “that the government be able to censor users/content on social media platforms it feels threaten national security,” according to a poll by RealClearPolitics released in September.

Some parts of the government appear to be aligned with these voters, based on a House Judiciary Committee report published on Monday. The report revealed that the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency was aware of and involved with internet censorship efforts during the 2020 election.

The Rollins campaign did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.