Israeli tech CEO calls on US govt to 'limit' First Amendment,' take control of social media to prevent 'lies'
'We need to control the platforms, all the social platforms,' Cato Networks co-founder Shlomo Kramer said
Israeli tech CEO calls to 'limit the First Amendment' to prevent spread of 'lies' on social media
Israeli tech entrepreneur and Cato Networks co-founder Shlomo Kramer argued on Monday’s episode of CNBC’s "Money Movers" that the American government must restrict freedom of speech in the age of AI.
Israeli billionaire tech entrepreneur and Cato Networks co-founder Shlomo Kramer argued on Monday’s episode of CNBC’s "Money Movers" that governments must restrict freedom of speech in the age of AI.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Donald Trump Monday at his Mar-a-Lago estate, weeks after a top Israeli defense official warned the world is soon to face its first cyber-based war. This meeting between Trump and Netanyahu comes amid growing debate within some conservative circles over the scope of American backing for Israel and the direction of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. Netanyahu has referred to social media as a new weapon in the modern age.
"How is AI cyber warfare shaping geopolitics right now?" CNBC host Sara Eisen asked Kramer.
Kramer emphasized that artificial intelligence is already revolutionizing cyber warfare, ranging from critical infrastructure to the fabric of society and politics, arguing that it is undermining it. He claimed this is giving authoritarian governments an unfair advantage against democratic countries. Kramer went on to make a suggestion that quickly went viral on social media as speech advocates warned against the slippery slope to government censorship.
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Shlomo Kramer, chief executive officer of Cato Networks Ltd., at the Bloomberg Tech Summit in London, UK, on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (Hollie Adams/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"You’re seeing the polarization in countries that allow for the First Amendment and protect it, which is great. And I know it’s difficult to hear, but it’s time to limit the First Amendment in order to protect it," he said. "And quickly before it’s too late."
When asked what he meant by this, Kramer advocated government control of social media.
"I mean that we need to control the platforms, all the social platforms. We need to stack, rank the authenticity of every person that expresses themselves online and take control over what they are saying, based on that ranking," he said.
Eisen asked him to affirm he was indeed calling upon the government to do this.
"The government should, yeah," Kramer said. "They should do that. And we need to educate people against lies. And governments need to develop cyber defense programs that are as sophisticated as a sub-attack. Today. It’s a 1-to-100 ratio. And really governments are not doing this today at any rate, and enterprises are left fending for themselves."
"The technology is moving much faster than the political system typically can to respond," CNBC host David Faber pointed out.
"So you need to use technology in order to stabilize the political system," Kramer responded. "And you need to put adjustments that are perhaps not popular, but necessary."
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A portion of one of only two known copies of the official edition of the Constitution of the United States of America. The First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech and religion, is held by many to be one of the most sacred rights and values (Mike Segar / Reuters Photos)
Kramer went on to argue that companies like his own can provide the solutions needed to this changing landscape.
Faber said that China uses AI at the state level to control its population, and while the United States is indeed in a race with them, Americans are not interested in state-level government regulation.
"And that’s a big mistake, because if China has a single narrative that protects its inner stability and the U.S. allows for multiple narratives, it puts them in an unfair advantage that long-term is going to cost the stability of the nation," Kramer said. "So changes must be made."
Eisen noted that if such changes were implemented, people would immediately condemn them as censorship. Kramer, however, argued that what is happening online is a "completely new threat" that must be addressed.
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U.S. President Donald Trump has been a staunch supporter of free speech, having been deplatformed himself after January 6, 2021. (Andrew Harnik / Getty Images)
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Clips from Kramer's interview quickly went viral on social media as free speech advocates condemned the idea of restricting the First Amendment.
"No. Have we not learned that state power without limits inevitably turns brutal? Start by limiting the first amendment and within 2 years we are dealing with arbitrary arrests, coerced confessions, show trials, transport to camps, forced labor, starvation, and psychological breakdown. Basically, the warmth of collectivism," conservative chef personality Andrew Gruel said on X, appearing to reference a recent speech from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
The Redheaded Libertarian, a popular commentator, replied to the clip by saying, "That sounds like a bunch of communist gobbledygook."
Fox News Digital has reached out to Kramer for comment, and he has yet to respond at the time of publication.
