The representatives of just 13 states plus the District of Columbia will meet with top Justice Department officials to discuss what could result in a comprehensive, federal government antitrust effort against the country’s top social media companies.
According to a Justice Department official, the meeting is scheduled to take place at 10 a.m at the department’s headquarters in downtown Washington.
The attorneys general of Alabama, California, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, Tennessee, and Utah are expected to attend, as well as representatives from the offices of Arkansas, Arizona, Missouri, Texas, and Washington state. The District of Columbia attorney general, Karl Racine, will also attend the listening session.
Twenty-four states had been invited.
An agenda has not been provided, but the Justice Department said this month that the discussion will focus on “a growing concern that these companies may be hurting competition and intentionally stifling the free exchange of ideas on their platforms.”
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, Acting Associate Attorney General Jesse Panuccio, and Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim will attend the meeting.
A Justice Department official told reporters ahead of the meeting that the listening session “is in regards to consumer protection and the technology industry.”
This month, President Trump tweeted about alleged bias at tech giants such as Google and Facebook, and tech executives traveled to Capitol Hill to discuss lawmakers’ concerns.
Top Republicans have also suggested that the companies are biased against them and their content following a story that claimed Twitter was “shadow-banning” some conservative voices.
A group of technology activists and think tanks recently sent a letter to the Justice Department asking Attorney General Jeff Sessions to rethink going after social media giants.
“It is unclear what lawful action could result from your planned meeting. Indeed, we fear that the effect of your inquiry will be to accomplish through intimidation what the First Amendment bars: interference with editorial judgment,” the letter reads.
The letter is signed by groups including TechFreedom and the Competitive Enterprise Institute.
