Staff Reports
On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee, led by its chair Jim Jordan, issued subpoenas to the CEOs of five major tech companies. The subpoenas demand documents and communications related to the moderation, deletion, suppression, restriction, or reduced circulation of content. The committee is attempting to analyze communications between the Biden administration and the tech companies to determine if they censored legitimate speech, particularly on COVID-19 policy.
House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan subpoenas Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta and Microsoft for info on alleged collusion with the government to suppress speech https://t.co/E586mf2Mk7
— CNBC (@CNBC) February 15, 2023
The committee has been attempting to obtain the requested information for some time, but the tech companies have not fully complied with their prior requests. Microsoft and Meta have both stated that they are producing documents and are committed to working in good faith.
Since taking on the role of committee chairman last month, Jordan has prioritized scrutinizing the censorship policies of major tech companies. He maintains that in order to create productive legislation, such as the potential implementation of new legal boundaries on the executive branch’s collaboration with big tech to limit the dissemination of content and removal of users, the committee must initially comprehend how and to what degree the executive branch compelled and cooperated with these firms and other intermediaries to censor speech.
In January, Jordan also announced an investigation into the Justice Department’s handling of two cases related to classified records involving presidents. He believes that if the White House is going to be consistent, then there should be an investigation into President Biden’s handling of classified material.
Jordan is resolute about obtaining solutions to ensure that every individual has access to their freedom of expression. He is of the opinion that by comprehending the reasoning behind the censorship of specific content, Congress can create effective laws to safeguard citizens’ rights. The tech companies have indicated that they are generating records and are dedicated to collaborating in good faith with the committee. It’s yet to be ascertained what information this inquiry will yield.
The preceding article is a summary of an article that originally appeared on Trending Politics
