If you remember a little bit ago, Sen. Ted Cruz expressed his concern when the Twitter account of the movie “Unplanned,” the story of a Planned Parenthood director who became a pro-life activist after being asked to assist with an abortion, was temporarily suspended on the film’s opening weekend. At the same time, people complained that Twitter was “unfollowing” them from the @UnplannedMovie account.
Big Tech’s attempted censorship of @UnplannedMovie is deeply troubling. And reveling. Why is the Left so afraid of people seeing this powerful story? Regardless of where you fall on abortion, you owe it yourself to see this thought-provoking true story & decide for yourself. https://t.co/sfxsxULMb2
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) April 1, 2019
That was April 1, and on Wednesday, Cruz held a Senate committee hearing on technological censorship.
Watch live: @tedcruz is presiding over Senate hearing on Twitter’s treatment of pro-life @UnplannedMovie https://t.co/NtvCOA7mUZ
— Tré Goins-Phillips ? (@tregp) April 10, 2019
One of his exhibits was a tweet from the president of Susan B. Anthony List that featured a quote by Mother Teresa.
"Is this hate speech?"
*crickets*#StopTheCensorship
Watch the livestream now –> https://t.co/J4CWTfCyHd pic.twitter.com/qIWtkOLqaT
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) April 10, 2019
.@tedcruz displays a @SBAList tweet that was blocked on Twitter; it was a quote from Mother Teresa that said "abortion is pro-foundly anti-woman."
Cruz: "Is this hate speech?"
Twitter and Facebook were speechless. pic.twitter.com/gnXEAAAe0m
— Molly Prince (@mollyfprince) April 10, 2019
Free speech hearing – @SenTedCruz shows an SBA List tweet with a Mother Teresa quote that was taken down for hate speech.
Rep. Cruz question to Twitter: "is this Mother Teresa quote hate speech?"
Twitter's response: "SBA List is currently an advertiser in good standing."— Susan B. Anthony List (@SBAList) April 10, 2019
Oh really?
Free Speech hearing: "SBA List has been fighting censorship of our content for more than two years." Marilyn Musgrave is testifying about about our social media censorship.
Read the MULTIPLE examples of how our posts have been censored by Twitter, Facebook, and Google ⬇
— Susan B. Anthony List (@SBAList) April 10, 2019
1. 3/8/17 – SBA List promoted four tweets from our president, Marjorie Dannenfelser. One was immediately rejected with Twitter citing violation of their “Health and pharmaceutical products and services policy.” It was a quote by Mother Teresa.
— Susan B. Anthony List (@SBAList) April 10, 2019
2. 4/12/17 – SBA List made a Twitter ad campaign urging constituents to ask their legislators to pass a health care bill that stopped taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood. Twitter informed us that our account was ineligible to participate in Twitter ads, citing the same policy.
— Susan B. Anthony List (@SBAList) April 10, 2019
3. In September 2017, Twitter blocked an SBA List video ad advocating John Adams for attorney general of Virginia, stating that it was unacceptable to use the phrase “killing babies” in an ad.
— Susan B. Anthony List (@SBAList) April 10, 2019
4. Between October 9 and November 1, 2018, Facebook banned seven of our paid ads supporting candidates. Brief images of premature babies born at 22-24 weeks, when unborn children can be legally aborted, were deemed “sensational or graphic content.”
— Susan B. Anthony List (@SBAList) April 10, 2019
5. Facebook and Google blocked our research and education arm Charlotte Lozier Institute’s video ads featuring patients who were helped by ethical adult stem cell treatment. Google claimed we were trying to sell pharmaceuticals
— Susan B. Anthony List (@SBAList) April 10, 2019
Thank you, @TedCruz for holding this hearing
Planned Parenthood can run ads on @Twitter to promo abortion
They spent $120k in the last week
But we & @LilaGraceRose are BANNED from ads because Twitter considers pro-life content "inflammatory"
We were demanded to scrub our site
— Live Action (@LiveAction) April 10, 2019
Sen. Cruz: SBA List's experience shows these are not isolated incidents, but a consistent pattern of censorship. #BigTech
— Susan B. Anthony List (@SBAList) April 10, 2019
Still speechless, Facebook and Twitter? If you’re not going to be fair with your policies, at least be honest about them.
Related:
Pro-life movie ‘Unplanned’ has its Twitter account suspended on opening weekend; Dana Loesch blasts https://t.co/K47hF0lwYp
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) March 30, 2019
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