The White House is reportedly working on an executive order that would start an investigation into tech companies on antitrust grounds.
Bloomberg reported Saturday that the organization obtained a draft order that would prompt an investigation by antitrust authorities to investigate online platforms as well as ask other agencies to recommend government actions that could “protect competition among online platforms and address online platform bias.”
A White House official reportedly told the news outlet that the order is still in preliminary stages.
This is not the first time President Trump has threatened investigation into tech companies’ practices. The president has repeatedly hurled criticism at tech and social media companies for what he terms suppressing conservative voices, calling on them to “let everybody participate, good and bad.”
The Justice Department has already invited a bipartisan group of 24 state attorneys general to meet with Attorney General Jeff Sessions next week “to discuss a growing concern that these companies may be hurting competition and intentionally stifling the free exchange of ideas on their platforms,” according to a Justice Department statement.
Executives from Facebook and Twitter appeared in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee earlier this month to discuss their decisions about suspending bad actors, and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey appeared in front of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce the same day to discuss moderating online content.
Trump insisted in July that he would call on the federal government to investigate reports of “shadow banning” on Twitter, a practice in which users do not show up in searches.
“We will look into this discriminatory and illegal practice at once!” he tweeted at the time.
