More than half of Americans (55%) are in favor of the federal administration implementing measures against fake news online and on social media. According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, this percentage increased by 16 points in just five years (in 2018, 39% supported it). Forty-two percent defend full freedom of expression - whether the information is true or not - and 3% did not answer.
However, a higher percentage (65%) believe that technology companies should be the ones to control what is posted rather than the federal government.
Seven out of ten Democrats want the government to impose restrictions
There is a clear difference between Democrats and Republicans when it comes to the government interfering in content that is posted online.
The number of Democrats who are in favor of the government taking steps to restrict information posted on the Internet or on social media is almost double that of Republicans. Specifically, 70% of those who consider themselves Democrats or like-minded support government intervention and restriction of certain content, compared to 39% of Republicans.
Democrat support has skyrocketed in the last five years. Only 40% supported these restrictions in 2018. That year, 37% of Republicans supported the government monitoring and controlling online content.
Members of the Democratic Party call for specific legislation
Democrats tend to agree on this issue. In an interview in April, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for legal limits on information and freedom of expression. "We have very real issues with what is permissible on air. We saw that with January 6, and we saw that in the lead-up to January 6. How we navigate questions, not just of freedom of speech but also accountability for incitement of violence, this is the line that we have to really explore through law," she said.
Another Democrat famous for advocating governmental restrictions on online information is Karine Jean-Pierre. The White House Press Secretary was asked about Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter - now X - in October of last year. She said:
This is something we are certainly keeping an eye on. We're all monitoring what's currently occurring.
The First Amendment of the Constitution forbids the government from infringing on freedom of speech and freedom of the press, among other liberties such as freedom of religion.
Over-50s more supportive of online content restrictions
The percentage of adults over the age of 50 who support the government controlling what information is posted online is higher than the percentage of adults between the ages of 18-49. Sixty-six percent of the first age group supports the government restricting information compared to 54% of the younger age group.
