Are Search Engines and Social Media Free Speech?

Guest: Eric Goldman, JD, Professor of Law, Co-director of the High Tech Law Institute, Santa Clara University Top social media executives testified in Congress on Wednesday about their efforts to make sure Russia doesn’t use their websites to meddle in the upcoming elections. But, after that hearing, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions had a different concern: that Twitter, Facebook and Google are keeping conservatives off their platforms. Sessions plans to meet with state attorneys general this month to discuss how social media companies may be “intentionally stifling the free exchange of ideas." In the last week, President Trump made the same claim on Twitter when he complained about Google searches for “Trump News” resulting in mostly “bad stories.” Google denies it “ranks search results to manipulate political sentiment.” Still, Trump has promised a fix. Is there anything the government could do on this, or is a Google search protected by the First Amendment?