Christian content on the internet risks being censored by technology giants like Google and Apple, a US conference has heard.
American Christian media groups have met in Washington DC to discuss the problem and explore solutions.
They say traditional Bible-based Christian views on moral issues like marriage and abortion risk being censored.
Block
National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) says internet giants have used their power to “block viewpoints they don’t agree with”.
According to a NRB report published in September, Apple “committed the most obvious acts of anti-Christian censorship on new media platforms.
“It has 425,000 apps on its iTunes App Store, yet the only ones blocked on a viewpoint basis have been apps that contain Christian content.”
Activists
Last year Apple bowed to pressure from gay activists and banned an App produced by a group that supports ex-homosexuals.
In 2008 Google banned The Christian Institute from placing a factual advert about the UK’s abortion laws, although it allowed equivalent ads for non-religious organisations.
The ad was banned because The Christian Institute’s website is “religious”. But Google overturned the decision when it faced legal action under the UK’s Equality Act.
Debate
NRB Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Craig Parshall, says the time has come to debate the problem.
He said: “The free market power of monolithic, web-based tech companies is on a collision course with the free speech interests of citizens, ministries, and organisations who use the Internet”.
He added: “This discussion comes none too early. We hope to forge an exploratory path to resolve this dilemma, where both freedom of speech and free enterprise can flourish.”