How Big Tech uses 'freedom of expression' to quash free speech

Today’s heated debates over censorship on tech platforms are fueled by confusion over the purpose of the freedom of speech. This confusion was on full display last week when Google and Facebook executives testified last week before the U.S. House of Representatives.

Executives of both companies claim to support freedom of expression. A Facebook representative noted that the company is in favor of “expression” and strives to give people a “voice,” while making users feel safe to express that voice. Similarly, Google’s representative said the company has a “deep commitment to free expression.” Both companies explicitly ban so-called “hate speech” because it prevents users from fully expressing themselves.

But puzzling as it may sound, it is possible to support freedom of expression while also being hostile to freedom of speech. In fact, the freedom of expression, as understood today, is in conflict with the original purpose of freedom of speech.

A Google internal memo leaked in 2018 called “The Good Censor” shows the company’s skepticism about the freedom of speech, claiming it has “become a social, economic, and political weapon.” The memo compares the “American tradition” to the “European tradition,” saying America prioritizes “free speech for democracy, not civility,” while the European tradition, “favors dignity over liberty and civility over freedom.”

According to this memo, Google openly supports the European tradition, and believes that all tech platforms are now moving in this direction. Google did not deny the authenticity of the memo’s contents. In response to its publication, right on cue, Google claimed that it is “committed to free expression.”