Mark Zuckerberg Says Facebook Balances First Amendment Against Other Equities: There Should be Some Limits on Speech – Mediaite

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerbergtold senators Wednesday that free speech is an equity that should be weighed against other considerations.

Sen.Marsha Blackburn(R-TN) said in introducing her question that Facebook is picking winners and losers and that the company is inserting itself into issue of free speech. Is the First Amendment a given right, or is that a competing equity? she asked, referencing Zuckerbergs earlier commentary.

I believe strongly in free expression, Zuckerberg replied. But I do think that, like all equities, it is balanced against other equities, like safety and privacy. Even people who believe in the strongest possible interpretation of the First Amendment still believe there should be some limits on speech when it could cause an imminent risk of physical harm.

Even the people who believe in the strongest possible interpretation of the First Amendment still believe there should be some limits on speech when it could cause risk of imminent physical harm. The kind of famous example thats used is that you cant shout fire in a crowded theater, Zuckerberg added. So I think that getting those equities right, and the balance right, is the challenge that we face.

Having agreed in principle that Facebook does involve itself in the process of free speech and making determinations with regard to the balance of that First Amendment freedom, Blackburns time expired and the discussion had to end.

Facebook has been the subject of criticism by conservatives who have questioned its censorship decisions, most recently for a warning label it appended to an Oct. 14 New York Poststory about Democratic presidential nomineeJoe Bidenand his son,Hunter Biden.

The Facebook chief appeared before the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday alongside Twitter CEOJack Dorseyand Google CEOSundar Pichaito testify on Section 230, a law protecting their companies from liability for content their users post. Lawmakers are considering whether to reform the law after controversy this year over censorship decisions made by social-media companies.

Watch above via the Senate Commerce Committee.

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Mark Zuckerberg Says Facebook Balances First Amendment Against Other Equities: There Should be Some Limits on Speech - Mediaite