Giving Compass' Take:

• Brookings' Niam Yaraghi warns against mandating ideological diversity in social media content or in imposing regulations that would force such platforms to be more "fair." Essentially, it would set a dangerous precedent.

• But with so much talk about the spread of "fake news" on social media, undermining civil society, what are the checks and balances to make sure technology companies don't have too much power over information?

• Here's how we can use social media for positive change.

The calls for regulating social media and technology companies are politically motivated. Conservatives who support these policies argue that their freedom of speech is being undermined by social media companies who censor their voice. Conservatives who celebrate constitutional originalism should remember that the First Amendment protects against censorship by government. Social media companies are all private businesses with discretion over the content they wish to promote, and any effort by government to influence what social media platforms promote risks violating the First Amendment.

Moreover, the current position of the conservatives are in direct contrast to their positions on “Fairness Doctrine”. As my colleague Tom Wheeler explains here, “when the Fairness Doctrine was repealed in the Reagan Administration, it was hailed by Republicans as a victory for free speech.” Republicans should apply the same standard to both traditional media and the modern day social media. If they believe requiring TV and radio channels to present a fair balance of both sides is a violation of free speech, how can they favor imposing the exact same requirement on social media platforms?

Read the full article about regulating free speech on social media by Niam Yaraghi at Brookings.