<mediadc-video-embed data-state="{"cms.site.owner":{"_ref":"00000161-3486-d333-a9e9-76c6fbf30000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b93390000"},"cms.content.publishDate":1668545502940,"cms.content.publishUser":{"_ref":"0000017c-2d8e-d3f3-a7fc-7ffef6720000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"cms.content.updateDate":1668545502940,"cms.content.updateUser":{"_ref":"0000017c-2d8e-d3f3-a7fc-7ffef6720000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"rawHtml":"
var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ "div": "Brid_68545493", "obj": {"id":"27789","width":"16","height":"9","video":"1186193"} }); ","_id":"00000184-7d0f-d5ff-a7af-7ddfcf590000","_type":"2f5a8339-a89a-3738-9cd2-3ddf0c8da574"}”>Video EmbedIndustry groups are preparing for a Republican-controlled House to investigate federal agencies and Big Tech companies over allegations of censorship.
If Republicans gain control of the House, as is expected, they are expected to use committees to investigate allegations that federal agencies such as the FBI and CIA cooperated with Facebook and Google to remove COVID-19 and election-related content.
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“We’re gonna have a lot of oversight hearings,” NetChoice President Carl Szabo told the Washington Examiner. “Which have been absolutely MIA for the past two years.”
In particular, House panels are expected to hold hearings on the conduct of government agencies like the Federal Trade Commission and on the communications between the CDC and Meta over COVID-19 misinformation. These investigations will build off the lawsuits filed by Missouri and Louisiana’s attorneys general, which revealed multiple contacts between the agency and the social media platform.
Szabo argued that the Nancy Pelosi-led House failed to keep agencies like the FTC in check as they pursued political initiatives. He pointed to the FTC’s decision to investigate Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter after the billionaire tweeted a recommendation to vote Republican, claiming it was politically motivated.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) has signaled that he intends to investigate Facebook’s role in censoring the New York Post‘s Hunter Biden laptop story. Other Republican-led investigations are expected as well.
“House Republicans have made it pretty clear that their main focus on constructive tech policy is going to be using their bully pulpit to come after the companies on their content moderation policies, and specifically to argue that the companies have removed too much conservative content on their sites,” Chamber of Progress CEO Adam Kovacevich told the Washington Examiner.
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Kovacevich, whose organization is a liberal trade group, dismissed the anticipated investigations as performative. He said the smallness of the margin that Republicans are expected to have in the House would make it difficult to pass anything of substance in light of any investigation’s results.
The House is also likely to shift its focus to passing bills implementing privacy and parental controls. The party’s agenda will include “Greater privacy and data security protections, equip parents with more tools to keep their kids safe online, and stop companies from putting politics ahead of people,” according to an outline released by Kevin McCarthy of California, the current party leader.
