Hi, I wanted to make sure you saw Evan's important email below.

-Sarah

John,

Donald Trump wants to give Ajit Pai a new job: Internet Censor-in-Chief.

Leaked documents show that President Trump is preparing an executive order that will put FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and the FTC in charge of policing political speech they deem unacceptable on Facebook, Twitter, and pretty much anywhere else on the Internet.

We need to act FAST to stop this proposal. With a big enough public backlash, we can get Trump to back off and save free speech on the Internet.

Will you rush an emergency donation to help stop the “Censor the Internet” Executive Order?

If signed and upheld by the courts, this order would give the FCC and FTC sweeping power to control what speech is allowed on online forums and media platforms.

It would essentially be the end of free speech on the Internet.

The proposal would give unelected government bureaucrats the power to revoke free speech protections passed by Congress as part of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, the key law that allows websites that allow user-generated content—like forums, social media, meme generators, and review sites—to exist.

In practice, this executive order would mean that whichever political party is in power could dictate what speech is allowed on the Internet. If the government doesn’t like the way a private company is moderating content, they can shut their entire website down.

No government official should have such sweeping power to control political speech, certainly not a former Verizon lawyer who has used his office to attack free expression over and over again.

Whether you’re a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Socialist, Independent, or something else, this plan should send shivers down your spine, and it’s been condemned by First Amendment experts across the political spectrum.^{1, 2, 3}

It’s likely that the White House leaked this draft in order to test the waters. They’ve done this before. If we can stir up a large and immediate public backlash, we can stop this attack on the First Amendment right now. Will you rush an emergency donation right now to help fight back?

Yes, I’ll donate to help stop the “Censor the Internet” Executive Order and save free speech online.

DONATE

For the Internet,

Evan at Fight for the Future

P.S. Join our campaign by signing the petition: Leaked documents show White House is planning executive order to censor the Internet

Footnotes:

1. Twitter: https://twitter.com/PENamerica/status/1159893959721795586?s=20

2. TechFreedom: https://techfreedom.org/draft-social-media-bias-executive-order-would-create-real-internet-speech-police/

3. Public Knowledge: https://www.publicknowledge.org/press-release/public-knowledge-responds-to-white-house-proposal-to-require-ftc-fcc-to-monitor-speech-on-social-media/

Fight for the Future works to protect your rights in the digital age.