Big Tech

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, announced he would call Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify on potential violations of federal election law in their censorship of the New York Post’s reporting on Hunter Biden. Senator Hawley has also called on the Federal Election Commission to open an investigation in the matter.

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) formally invited Facebook and Twitter to testify regarding their censorship of the New York Post’s reporting on Hunter Biden. Senator Hawley said that the companies have violated campaign finance law by offering an in-kind contribution to the Biden campaign.

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg regarding the company’s decision to censor a story regarding Hunter Biden’s contacts with Ukrainian energy executives. Senator Hawley asked Facebook whether it is normal policy to reduce distribution of articles before they have been fact-checked, if they have any evidence the story contains disinformation, and whether any member of the Biden-Harris campaign encouraged or requested Facebook suppress the story.

Following his letter to Facebook, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey regarding the company’s decision to prevent users from sharing the New York Post’s reporting on Hunter Biden in any capacity.

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) wrote a letter to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) General Counsel expressing serious concerns about the possibility of campaign finance violations benefitting the Biden campaign in Twitter and Facebook’s suppression of the New York Post’s reporting on Hunter Biden. Senator Hawley writes that, as the Biden campaign derives value from the suppression of the story, the companies may have therefore made in-kind contributions to the campaign.

In response to Facebook’s recent announcement that it will ban political advertising in the week leading up the November 2020 elections, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg asking that he reconsider his decision. Senator Hawley writes that Facebook’s decision could have the effect of suppressing voter turnout and includes an overly broad blackout of advertising related to “social issues.”

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) announced he will introduce the Behavioral Advertising Decisions Are Downgrading Services (BAD ADS) Act, a bill to remove Section 230 immunity from Big Tech companies that display manipulative, behavioral ads or provide data to be used for them. Senator Hawley’s bill would crack down on behavioral advertising’s negative effects, which include invasive data collection and user manipulation through design choices.

Senator Hawley sent a letter to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey requesting he respond to reports that a Twitter employee was involved in Wednesday’s cyberattack and, if true, when Twitter became aware of this fact. Senator Hawley also asked Dorsey to explain screenshots seeming to indicate Twitter engages in “shadowbanning” users and whether these tools have ever been applied to an elected official.

Following a massive Twitter cyberattack during which countless accounts were hacked, including those of former President Barack Obama and presidential nominee Joe Biden, Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey requesting he immediately reach out the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation to take any necessary measures to secure the site.

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced a bill to empower Americans to sue Big Tech companies who act in bad faith by selectively censoring political speech and hiding content created by their competitors. Cosponsored by Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Senator Hawley’s bill would prohibit Big Tech companies from receiving Section 230 immunity unless they update their terms of service to promise to operate in good faith and pay a $5,000 fine if they violate that promise.