It is common knowledge that Americans love exercising their right to free speech. However, what happens when a multi-billionaire threatens this right in an election year?

All eyes are on the United States of America as the November presidential elections draw near. However, many things are unfolding, with breaking news at every corner.

Recently, reports show that George Soros, a billionaire mogul, has been seen sending almost $100 million to censorship programs, trying to influence the decisions of millions of Americans in the upcoming presidential elections. 

Americans value their right to free speech greatly, and that was why it was included in the Constitution. However, many people believe they no longer have this freedom.

An example of such an instance is the Murthy v. Missouri case, which is in the Supreme Court. The plaintiffs are fighting against President Joe Biden, who has asked companies to take down posts that are spreading false information on social media.

George Soros owns a media group called Free Pass. The group claims to monitor the media’s decisions and the credibility of their posts.

Therefore, it will raise alarm in cases of false reports of threats to people’s rights. Soros is trying to apply pressure on global Big Tech companies to increase their censorship before the presidential elections. 

According to several reports, Soros has been accused of using his vast wealth to influence the upcoming elections to go his way. This is because he has the money to influence many aspects of the elections quite easily.

Rumors also claim that he is supporting Joe Biden and is simply trying to silence the opposition on social media platforms. 

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The multimillionaire allegedly wants to silence some Americans and restrict their freedom of speech under the guise of making social media a safe and healthy place for its consumers.

He has also written letters to executives at social media’s Big Tech companies such as X (formerly known as Twitter), Google, TikTok, and Discord. In his letter, he asked them to review their free speech guidelines.

According to his letter to the Big Tech companies, Soros noted a couple of requests which he believes to be the bare minimum.

Some of these requests include things like paying more attention to AI-generated content, investing in the integrity of their platforms, being stricter with their advertising standards, and holding public figures accountable for their content just as with regular users. 

Soros’ letter was signed by two hundred organizations, of which at least 45 were paid a whopping sum of over $80 million between 2016 and 2022.

Some of the organizations include the European Partnership for Democracy, the International Press Institute, the Dangerous Speech Project, Human Rights Watch, and many more. Therefore, these payments rang alarm bells for many as they saw it as a conspiracy to hinder free speech. 

According to Soros’ company, the letter to the Big Tech companies was with the intention to try and reduce real harms that can arise from the spread of misinformation. It also hopes to handle the rise of extremism on social media platforms and the attempts to overthrow the Democratic government.

However, people like Joseph Vazquez, the associate editor for MRC, reported on this and claimed that the letter’s intention was to restrict freedom of speech in an election year. 

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According to reports by MRC, $20 million out of the $80 million was given to Global Witness. This group previously had a campaign that aimed to tackle hate, division, and discrimination on most digital platforms.

The company also claimed to have a mission to ensure a “sustainable, just and equal planet.” Therefore, Global Witness serves as a sort of watchdog to prioritize people on digital platforms. 

One of Global Witness’ most memorable campaigns is the digital threats campaign. The company claims that this campaign seeks to stop the spread of disinformation on social media and hold false sources accountable.

Therefore, they target hateful language, which usually generates more clicks and higher ad revenues. This is a common trend on several social media platforms across the world. 

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Free Press and its founder, George Soros, wrote the letter to the Big Tech companies on behalf of the companies and organizations that signed it, hoping to tackle the problem of the dangerous spread of misinformation on social media.

As the presidential elections approach, false information on social media can be weaponized and used to manipulate voters to switch sides or influence their decisions.  

The right and left wing have conflicting opinions on Soros’ intentions. The left-wing supporters believe that he is trying to help remove false information from the internet in a crucial period.

However, the right-wing supporters believe that he is simply trying to restrict the right to free speech in an election year. Furthermore, they cited this constitutional right and want the freedom to talk as they please on social media.

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