Chinese Communist Party-run media insisted that American technology companies ought to “safeguard the election by all means,” advocating for platforms to censor election-related content posted by President Trump.
The call follows the U.S. government confirming that the Chinese Communist Party favors Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden in the upcoming election.
Appearing in China Global Television Network (CGTN), the op-ed entitled “U.S. Tech Giants Are To Safeguard Election By All Means” argues that social media platforms ought to play an active role in monitoring, disseminating, and, in some cases, censoring election-related content. The article argues in favor of Facebook and Twitter – both of which have unfairly targeted conservative users with bans and blacklists – exerting increased influence over the 2020 election.
Beyond arguing to amplify the sway big tech can undemocratically exert over American electoral outcomes, the article lauded Facebook’s decision to censor a post by President Trump who CGTN describes as peddling “misinformation”:
The piece also amplifies Transition Integrity Project-conjured narratives about President Trump refusing to concede the election with its inclusion of a New York Times quote:
The calls for weaponizing social media platform to suppress President Trump’s content is especially concerning given big tech’s coziness with the Chinese Communist Party.
Twitter, for example, employs a Chinese government-linked artificial intelligence expert, and Facebook routinely attends conferences alongside Chinese military collaborators.
