'Big Tech Election Interference': Social Media Platform Locks Account Of GOP Presidential Candidate

Vivek Ramaswamy, the 37-year-old candidate for the Republican presidential primary and business entrepreneur, says that the social media site LinkedIn locked his account after he posted political videos on it where he attacked President Joe Biden's relationship with China and expressed his views on climate policy, according to Just the News. 

"Big Tech election interference has begun: [LinkedIn] locked my account & censored me this week for posting videos where I expressed fact-based views as a presidential candidate about climate policy and Biden’s relationships with China. They said it violated their policies relating to 'misinformation, hate speech, and violence.' Sad but not surprising" tweeted the Republican candidate who posted screenshots of his emails with LinkedIn officialdom about the matter. 

 

Big Tech election interference has begun: @LinkedIn locked my account & censored me this week for posting videos where I expressed fact-based views as a presidential candidate about climate policy and Biden’s relationships with China. They said it violated their policies relating… pic.twitter.com/ND2dFVnGAg

— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) May 25, 2023

Mr. Ramaswamy further commented the ban fits in with the larger problem of Big Tech censorship. He wrote, "Two years ago, Big Tech censored people who argued that we shouldn’t close schools for Covid. Now they’re censoring presidential candidates for arguing that fossil fuels are required for prosperity. They didn’t censor me because it’s false. They censored me because it’s true."
 

Two years ago, Big Tech censored people who argued that we shouldn’t close schools for Covid. Now they’re censoring presidential candidates for arguing that fossil fuels are required for prosperity. They didn’t censor me because it’s false. They censored me because it’s true… https://t.co/TYElXRdVLZ

— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) May 25, 2023

He also tweeted a reply to Kyle Becker, CEO of Becker News, who noted that the New York Times picked up on LinkedIn agreeing to censor posts for the Chinese government if the posts were made by Chinese nationals. While Mr. Ramaswamy is obviously not a citizen of China, there is concern that this state-sponsored censorship could reach much further than just posts made by nationals. For Mr. Ramaswamy though in words of his tweet, "[i]t’s no mystery why LinkedIn censored me for criticizing China’s influence over Biden & climate change policies. This is staggering."
 

It’s no mystery why LinkedIn censored me for criticizing China’s influence over Biden & climate change policies. This is staggering. https://t.co/WW32P7XSOQ

— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) May 25, 2023

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The offenses that LinkedIn cites as its reason to censor Mr. Ramaswamy are comments he made in various videos. One offense, according to LinkedIn, was when he said, "The [Chinese Communist Party] is playing the Biden administration like a Chinese mandolin. China has weaponized the 'woke pandemic' to stay one step ahead of us. And it's working." Another offense was Ramaswamy's claim, "If the climate religion was really about climate change, then they'd be worried about, say, shifting oil production from the U.S. to places like Russia and China. Yet, the climate religion and its apostles in the [environmental, social and governance] movement have a different objective." A third offense was the presidential candidate remarking, "The climate agenda is a lie: fossil fuels are a requirement for human prosperity."

The platform told Mr. Ramaswamy that he would be able to access his account again if he agreed "to abide by Linkedln's Terms and not to violate them again." Ramaswamy took a defiant tone, however, and released a video on Twitter where he said, "These aren't really the actions of private companies. These are so-called publicly held companies ... that are doing the work of the government through the backdoor." The Republican presidential aspirant vowed to fight to be able to re-access his account and that he "will stop at nothing in restoring free speech in our country [and] in restoring internet freedoms in our country."