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Congressional lawmakers have officially subpoenaed Alphabet, the parent company of Google and YouTube, as part of an investigation into alleged government collusion with Big Tech to censor speech.
Some shit you should know before you read: While President Biden was in office, House Republicans accused the Biden administration of colluding with major tech companies to censor free speech, particularly on topics like COVID-19. The Twitter Files, a series of internal documents released by Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter), revealed that government officials repeatedly requested the removal or suppression of certain posts, citing misinformation concerns. Additionally, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg confirmed in a letter to the House Judiciary Committee that his company faced pressure from the US government to take down COVID-related content. These allegations have fueled ongoing congressional investigations into Big Tech’s relationship with the executive branch and calls for new legislation to limit government influence over online content moderation.
What’s going on now: In an announcement, House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) stated that Google’s parent company, Alphabet, is being subpoenaed as part of an investigation into alleged government-led censorship efforts in coordination with Big Tech. Jordan accused Alphabet of working directly with the Biden administration to suppress speech, particularly on politically sensitive topics such as COVID-19. In a letter addressed to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Jordan wrote, “The Committee’s oversight has revealed that YouTube, a subsidiary of Alphabet, was a direct participant in the federal government’s censorship regime. In particular, the Committee obtained documents showing that the federal government successfully pressured YouTube to censor certain lawful content, including content that did not violate YouTube’s content moderation policies.”
The subpoena demands internal communications and records detailing interactions between Alphabet and the executive branch, aiming to uncover the extent of government influence on content moderation decisions.
Jordan also suggested that Google has been less cooperative compared to other tech companies, citing Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s previous admission that his company faced pressure from the Biden administration to remove COVID-related content. “Alphabet, to our knowledge, has not similarly disavowed the Biden-Harris Administration’s attempts to censor speech,” Jordan wrote.
Google responds: Google has pushed back against the claims, with a spokesman saying, “We’ll continue to show the committee how we enforce our policies independently, rooted in our commitment to free expression.”
