The Free Speech Issue of Our Generation: Corporate Cancellation’s Threat to Freedom

In today’s fast-paced news cycle, the recent suspension of PragerU on Google Play may have slipped under your radar.

But it’s worth pausing when the largest app store in the world attempts to silence a mainstream conservative digital media platform.

As instances like these continue to pile up, it’s clear to see why Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Vice President of Corporate Engagement Jeremy Tedesco called censorship by major corporations—often in tandem with powerful government agencies—“the free speech issue of our age” during his recent appearance on “The Culture War” podcast with Tim Pool.

Earlier this year, Tedesco testified before the U.S. House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, which had recently revealed that multiple federal government agencies were working hand-in-glove with large banks such as Bank of America. They were flagging ADF and other mainstream religious and conservative organizations as “domestic terrorist” threats and urging major banks to disclose private transactions involving “the purchase of books (including religious texts)” and opposition to “firearm legislation” and “the easing of immigration restrictions.”

Tedesco’s appearance on “The Culture War” came just days after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in National Rifle Association of America v. Vullo that the First Amendment protects not only against direct government censorship but also against indirect efforts to punish Americans for their speech.

Often, these by-proxy censorship schemes depend on the vague and subjective terms of use held by tech and financial services providers. In our 2024 Viewpoint Diversity Score Business Index, Alliance Defending Freedom scored 85 major tech, software, and financial services providers on their commitment to free speech and religious freedom.

What we found is troubling: 76 percent of the companies we scored have vague or subjective terms of service that threaten their customers with punishment or cancellation. This includes 69 percent of scored financial institutions and 100 percent of digital services providers, from Amazon to Zoom.

Not surprisingly, that includes Google, the fourth-largest company in the world. As Tedesco writes at The Federalist, Google’s quickly abandoned decision to boot PragerU was based on its vague and subjective “hate speech” policies, which leave users guessing at what content may or may not get them kicked off the platform.

No one should lose access to their social media account—let alone fear cancellation from their software provider or bank—because of their religious or political viewpoints. Yet vague company policies put millions of Americans at risk of this kind of cancellation.

As Christian charity Indigenous Advance found out when Bank of America canceled its account with scant explanation, these unclear policies are easily weaponized to create real-life victims.

This is not a problem that one court decision can solve. That’s why, working with a broad coalition of like-minded corporate leaders, shareholders, financial professionals, and state officials, ADF is deploying our Business Index findings to bring about lasting change in corporate America.

Over the past year, God has blessed our work with real results. For instance, JPMorgan Chase—the nation’s largest bank and one with a startling track record of viewpoint-based de-banking—has taken significant steps to protect its customers from being punished for their views.

Meanwhile, we also worked with legislators in Tennessee to enact a first-of-its kind de-banking bill, while our shareholder coalition made substantial headway by convincing proxy advisor Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) to issue voting standards that will free up hundreds of billions of dollars from the grip of activists that threaten the freedoms of every American.

All Americans benefit when powerful corporations respect free speech and religious freedom. If we are to successfully tackle “the free speech issue of our age,” we must continue to work creatively, collaboratively, and diligently, all while trusting that God will deliver astonishing results in His time.