Elon Musk—the world's richest man—finalized an agreement on Monday to acquire Twitter for approximately $44 billion. This deal comes after the social media platform has faced growing accusations of censorship, particularly against Catholic and pro-life voices. So what does this transaction mean for Catholics?
Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, emphasized the importance of free speech in a statement announcing his purchase of Twitter.
“Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,” he said about the platform, which has nearly 400 million users. In a tweet on Monday, he added: “I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means.”
Father Edmund Waldstein, a lecturer in moral theology at the Pontifical Philosophical and Theological University of Pope Benedict XVI in Heiligenkreuz, Austria, told CNA that the Church teaches people have a right to freedom of speech.
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In an email interview on Tuesday, Father Waldstein stated that the right to free speech stems from the “duty to seek and serve the truth.” But, he added, the Church’s teaching does not imply an unlimited right to freedom of speech.
“There is no right to spread lies, or false and harmful opinions,” he explained. “There is no right to use social communications to incite hatred and violence against other persons or groups.”
He added that large tech companies like Facebook and Twitter should not be the arbiters of truth in public discourse. Instead, he said, these companies “should be heavily regulated by the state to ensure that they do not use their power to promote partisan interests.”
Father Waldstein said the task of regulating speech generally falls under the responsibility of the state and, in matters of theology, the Church. But Father Waldstein cautioned that state authority “is undermined when the state itself is committed to a false ideology.” He cited the suppression of free speech in the Soviet Union as an example, and we can add that of the West as well.
Father Waldstein stated that the Second Vatican Council teaches that “the juridical order must protect the right to express one's own opinion” (Gaudium et spes, §73). He added that “this includes the right to use the dominant means of social communication in society.”
Twitter’s actions have broad implications and have impacted Catholic press agency articles. In January 2021, Catholic World Report stated that its Twitter account had been temporarily locked after sharing an article published by the Catholic News Agency describing Dr. Rachel Levine, a Biden appointee, as “a biological male who identifies as a transgender female.” A Twitter spokesperson later told CNA: “The enforcement action was taken in error and has been reversed.”
Pro-life groups, including Live Action and the Susan B. Anthony List, have accused Twitter and other major tech companies of censorship. In a timeline titled “Censorship of Pro-Life Speech by Big Tech,” SBA List notes that “public records show that big tech companies tend to censor pro-life speech, with some even banning pro-life accounts altogether.”
In a tweet on Tuesday, Live Action President Lila Rose listed a few ways she hoped Elon Musk would improve Twitter. She called for equal and transparent treatment of liberal and conservative views, an end to the censorship or removal of pro-life opinions, and the effective banning of all child predatory material.
Read in English on NC Register