President Trump signs executive order to restore free speech and end federal censorship, orders investigation into Biden administration's censorship practices
President Donald Trump, who became the 47th President of the United States on January 20, 2025, signed an executive order aimed at 'restoring freedom of speech and ending federal censorship.' This executive order could significantly set back long-standing efforts to combat the spread of fake news and misinformation on social media and online platforms.
Restoring Freedom Of Speech And Ending Federal Censorship – The White House
Trump signs executive order to promote 'free speech' on social media - The Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/01/20/trump-free-speech-executive-order-censorship/
Trump orders government not to infringe on Americans' speech, calls for censorship investigation | AP News
https://apnews.com/article/trump-executive-order-censorship-misinformation-social-media-b344d8c75463990ff6e782bc836bb337
A few hours after delivering his inaugural address on January 20, President Trump signed the 'Executive Order Restoring Free Speech and Ending Federal Censorship.' The order explains that despite Americans' freedom of speech guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution , the administration of former President Joe Biden has censored Americans' speech on online platforms and pressured social media companies and others to suppress speech that the government does not approve.
'In the name of fighting misinformation, disinformation, and fraud, the federal government has violated the constitutionally protected speech rights of citizens across America by advancing its preferred script on important matters of public debate. Government censorship of speech is intolerable in a free society,' the order reads.
This Executive Order prohibits federal employees and agents from engaging in or facilitating any conduct that unconstitutionally violates Americans' free speech rights, and it also prohibits the use of taxpayer resources for any conduct that undermines Americans' free speech rights.
The bill also directs the Attorney General, in consultation with the heads of other executive departments, to investigate whether there were any federal violations of free speech under the Biden administration over the past four years, submit a report, and recommend appropriate corrective measures.
Conservatives, including supporters of Trump, have filed multiple lawsuits alleging that efforts to prevent the spread of misinformation about public health and elections constitute illegal government censorship. The executive order is expected to deal a blow to years of coordination between tech companies and the government to combat misinformation about elections, natural disasters and public health.
In fact, with the inauguration of President Trump, many technology companies are backing away from fact-checking and misinformation removal efforts. On January 8, 2025, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company would stop fact-checking by independent organizations and move to a 'community notes' format similar to that of X (formerly Twitter). He also announced that the company would abolish its ' Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) ' program to maintain diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
Meta scraps diversity, equity and inclusion program following fact-checking - GIGAZINE
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