As GOP Plays Up Censorship Allegations, House Subpoenas Big Tech CEOs
© Anna Rose Layden/Bloomberg . Rep. Jim Jordan, Ohio Republican and chairman of the Judiciary Committee, is suing a number of tech company executives.House Republicans are calling on big tech companies to release documents about their dealings with the Biden administration over internet content moderation and efforts to fuel allegations that Silicon Valley and Democrats are involved in a broad conspiracy against conservative views.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) announced Wednesday that he has subpoenaed the CEOs of Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta and Microsoft "to seek information about the federal government's collusion with Big Tech". Free speech." (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)
Conservatives have claimed for years, often with mostly anecdotal evidence, that social media companies "censor" conservative views online and favor Democrats. Last week, the Republican-led House of Representatives held a hearing with former Twitter executives on the social media company's decision to briefly block the New York Post from publishing a story about Hunter Biden.
Former executives have dismissed the narrative that the tech company is siding with Democrats, but Republicans have continued with years of speculation.
GOP lawmakers allege massive tech conspiracy, despite denials from ex-Twitter employeesSocial media companies regularly walk both sides of the aisle to cover high-profile events and spread misinformation online. Democrats have often defended companies' decisions to withhold potentially damaging information and urged companies to become more proactive, while Republicans have accused companies of stifling free speech.
Twitter was not involved in Jordan's calls Wednesday. The social media company is now led by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has expressed sympathy for conservative causes and said he is concerned about the "suppression of free speech" online.
Subpoenas from Congress targeting corporations are relatively rare. Former Twitter executives have been called to testify at her request. And a Democratic-led group is suing several tech companies for election misinformation during the investigation into the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.
Spokesmen for Microsoft and Meta said the companies had begun preparing documents for the committee. Amazon declined to comment. Apple and Alphabet did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Kot Zakrzewski contributed to this report.
