Democratic Senator Ed Markey was on the receiving end of a fair bit of mockery after tweeting demands for “algorithmic justice” following the purchase of Twitter by Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
The far-left Markey (D-MA) tweeted newfound concerns from Democrat lawmakers that Twitter is ‘now’ in the hands of a “billionaire.”
Musk acquired the social media platform in a $44 billion deal expected to close at some point this year.
“Elon Musk and a handful of billionaires now have dangerous influence over the most powerful online platforms,” he railed, despite the fact that this was also the case 72 hours ago, before news of Musk’s purchase.
“We must pass laws to protect privacy and promote algorithmic justice for internet users, especially for kids,” added Markey.
Elon Musk and a handful of billionaires now have dangerous influence over the most powerful online platforms. They can’t be trusted, and self-regulation has failed. We must pass laws to protect privacy and promote algorithmic justice for internet users, especially for kids.
— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) April 26, 2022
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Ed Markey Wants ‘Algorithmic Justice’
Making use of such a ridiculous phrase – simply adding the word ‘justice’ to whatever grievance of the day Democrats see fit – is something you’d expect from an unfortunate byproduct of the current education system with the word ‘Squad’ next to their name.
Not a lawmaker who has served in Congress since 1976.
Yet, here we are. Honestly, if the tactic works according to their polling, why aren’t Republicans doing the same thing? Demand ‘gas justice,’ ‘grocery justice,’ ‘border justice,’ and so on and so forth.
My kids ate the last of the Cheerios this morning. I’m going to demand they buy the next box because … cereal justice. See how ridiculous it sounds?
As such, Ed Markey was hammered pretty hard over his demands for ‘algorithmic justice.’
National Review editor Ramesh Ponnuru joked, “This tweet reads like it may have been written by an algorithm.”
This tweet reads like it may have been written by an algorithm. https://t.co/4Ik4WKVthP
— Ramesh Ponnuru (@RameshPonnuru) April 26, 2022
Another Twitter user named Sarah deadpanned: “I saw Algorithmic Justice open for Rage Against the Machine in ’96.”
Others noted that “billionaires” owning social media platforms wasn’t a problem until Musk took over Twitter and that, when conservatives complained about censorship previously, they were advised to simply create their own platform.
I have it on good Democrat authority that you can just build your own platform if you don’t like this one.
— Robert Novak (@gallifreyan) April 26, 2022
Hasn’t it ALWAYS been that way? Why no tears last year?
— James P. Bradley For US Senate CA (@JamesBradleyCA) April 27, 2022
“People are free to do stuff and we don’t like it so we’re going to try to make it illegal.”—Every jackboot ever https://t.co/0i3ukP2GrX
— Jess (not of TikTok) (@LadyJessMacBeth) April 26, 2022
Where was this passion before yesterday? Bueller??
— C.J. (@Texas_Elvis1970) April 26, 2022
Actually Has Legislation Addressing ‘Algorithmic Justice’
Erielle Davidson, associate director for the Center for the Middle East and International Law at George Mason University, joked that a “millennial staffer” likely authored the tweet from Ed Markey and thought it was “pure brilliance.”
“Algorithmic justice” is the latest euphemism for banning content the laptop class doesn’t like. It’s very obvious a millennial staffer wrote this and thought it was pure brilliance. https://t.co/gjscIMQH7y
— Erielle Davidson (@politicalelle) April 26, 2022
That said, Markey actually has legislation, introduced in May of 2021, that seeks to combat “harmful algorithms” and create new “online transparency.”
The bill is called – brace yourself – the Algorithmic Justice and Online Platform Transparency Act of 2021.
As you might have guessed, Markey’s bill contends that algorithms are racist. It seeks to address “algorithmic processes on online platforms that discriminate on the basis of race, age, gender, ability and other protected characteristics.”
Today we heard a lot about “equitable speech” and “algorithmic justice” from people who hate freedom (and think you’re stupid).
— Seth Dillon (@SethDillon) April 27, 2022
Markey believes the bill is one tool in the effort “to eliminate injustice in our society.”
In reality, it’s an effort to corral conservative thought and opinion on social media platforms which may be the only hope Democrats have in winning elections in the foreseeable future.
The Algorithmic Justice and Online Platform Transparency Act of 2021 currently has no co-sponsors in the Senate which means Markey must now demand ‘sponsorial justice.’
Similar legislation in the House, introduced by Representative Doris Matsui (D-CA), currently has four co-sponsors including Squad member Rashida Tlaib (D-MN).
Oddly enough, the bill, introduced prior to Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, doesn’t mention the word “billionaire” once despite the fact that Mark Zuckerberg owns Meta Platforms which encompasses Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) also called Musk’s Twitter takeover “dangerous” noting his main crime is being a billionaire.
This deal is dangerous for our democracy. Billionaires like Elon Musk play by a different set of rules than everyone else, accumulating power for their own gain. We need a wealth tax and strong rules to hold Big Tech accountable.
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) April 25, 2022
“This deal is dangerous for our democracy,” she wrote. “Billionaires like Elon Musk play by a different set of rules than everyone else, accumulating power for their own gain.”
Actually, that’s the definition of a Senator.
