It’s time for a serious conversation about who controls speech in the modern age.

For years, platforms like YouTube, Twitter/X, TikTok, and Facebook have dominated the digital public square. They’ve become the main place where people speak, share ideas, debate, and protest. Yet these companies—private entities—aren’t held to the same constitutional standards as our government. That means they can ban, censor, silence, or shadowban users with little to no accountability.

We’re told “it’s their platform, their rules.” But when your livelihood, reputation, or ability to speak to the world depends on that platform, is that really fair? These tech giants hold more control over free expression than the government ever has—yet they face none of the legal responsibilities that come with that power.

We need to push for legislation that treats large tech platforms as public utilities or public forums, subject to some level of First Amendment-style protections. This doesn’t mean platforms can't moderate—it means they’d be required to follow consistent, transparent rules, protect against biased enforcement, and respect users’ rights unless someone’s speech crosses clearly defined legal lines (like threats, defamation, incitement, etc.).

Speech is either a right or a privilege. Right now, it's being treated like a privilege controlled by CEOs and algorithms. That’s not how freedom works.

Let’s demand change. Let’s demand a Digital Bill of Rights.