Americans' right to free speech, granted under the First Amendment of the Constitution, is a hallmark of the United States. In recent years, as many of our conversations have moved online, social media platforms have become the de-facto town square, making it crucial that these companies uphold this fundamental right, regardless of the political beliefs of any said user.

Unfortunately, Big Tech companies, such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, have hid behind Section 230 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and used this protection to suppress the speech of certain people and stories they disagree with politically. In its current form, the vague and outdated language of Section 230 allows these companies to censor free speech they don't agree with, without accountability.

Disagreeing with someone's politics is not a reason to silence them or to block certain information from others. It’s disturbing that Big Tech currently has this power, given their track record of censoring stories that later turned out to be true.

To help restore free speech in the United States, I have proudly cosponsored the Stop the Censorship Act to make much-needed, commonsense updates to the stale language of Section 230. This bill revokes the vague language that Big Tech companies have pointed to as the reason they are able to censor certain types of speech and requires these companies to abide by their own terms of service agreements.

Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google, and other Big Tech companies have tried to brand themselves as impartial sources of information for those seeking to research topics of the day, but it's evident they are denying people access to relevant information. That is why it is important that Congress acts to pass the Stop the Censorship Act to help put power back in the hands of the people — instead of the Silicon Valley billionaires.