As I watched the CEOs of nearly all popular communication and social apps sitting in the front row of President Trump’s inauguration, a chill went down my spine. I believe this was a shiver felt not just around our nation, but around the world. That chill turned into a shudder the following day when I logged onto one of the popular social apps I use, only to find that the hashtag for my entire political party had been blocked from the platform. The hashtag #Democrats returned no results.

The reason? The app was filtering sensitive information. 

I quickly searched for #Republicans and found the total results displayed. I searched for every notable Democrat politician’s hashtag, only to find each and every one blocked, showing “no results found” or displaying a message reading “sensitive material.” I then searched for every Republican politician on this app; each was displayed, including the current president. Is it a coincidence that the president was freely displayed, but his opposition was blocked?

As surely as the CEO of this company was at his inauguration, I can say no.

There is sensitive information on applications that may at times need to be sheltered or flagged with a warning. But even more sensitive than all of this is the sensitivity of our Constitution, the sensitivity of democracy, and the fragility of free speech — that, which died in this very moment, on this very day.

The world quickly noticed, with multiple EU members and speakers calling out the atrocity. Global outlets quickly picked up the story. The land of the free censoring their political opponents' entire party? Censoring all global Democrats on a global platform? A travesty.

This petition is to call on true Americans — the true patriots, the ones who hold to the highest degree our Constitution, our freedom of expression, transparency, and our freedom of speech. These tech moguls have formed a coalition, working for one party and pushing their agenda, while censoring the other for their own personal gain. Let’s come together, pooling our strengths, resources and ideas, to build a new platform—one that champions open dialogue, transparency, and freedom of expression. Where differences are discussed, not blocked; where propaganda is not pushed, but truth and facts. Where truth and reality are celebrated and lifted up, not falsehoods and misinformation.

From political influencers to storytellers, from stock moguls to Episcopalian preachers, there is more that connects us than divides us. And when the words, faces, beliefs, and voices of half of this great nation are hidden as “sensitive content,” the ride to the edge of democracy is sure to be swift.

With freedom, kindness, progress, and community in mind,

— We the people