”I was proud to launch the first antitrust and privacy investigation of Big Tech by an attorney general two years ago. I’m heartened to see a new group of attorneys general with the courage to stand up to these powerful companies and fight for citizens. Big Tech companies should be held accountable if they are violating our privacy or harming our children or killing innovation.”
Big Tech
Senator Josh Hawley Statement on Facebook’s Conservative Bias Audit
Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) released the following statement in response to Facebook’s conservative bias audit: “Merely asking somebody to listen to conservatives’ concerns isn’t an ‘audit,’ it’s a smokescreen disguised as a solution. Facebook should conduct an actual audit by giving a trusted third party access to its algorithm, its key documents, and its content moderation protocols. Then Facebook should release the results to the public.”
Sen. Hawley Introduces Legislation to Curb Social Media Addiction
Senator Hawley said, “Big tech has embraced a business model of addiction. Too much of the ‘innovation’ in this space is designed not to create better products, but to capture more attention by using psychological tricks that make it difficult to look away. This legislation will put an end to that and encourage true innovation by tech companies.”
Senator Hawley Grills Google Exec During Judiciary Committee Hearing
Today during a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) grilled Google’s vice president for government affairs and public policy, Karan Bhatia, on a range of subjects including Google’s work on censored search engines in China, YouTube’s curation of content for pedophiles, and whether Google would commit to an independent third-party audit of its content moderation practices.
Senators Hawley and Cruz Ask FTC to Investigate Tech Censorship Practices, Make Findings Public
Today U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to use its section 6(b) authority to investigate how major tech companies curate content due to the “enormous influence” these companies hold over speech and the “alarming and endless” possibilities for abuse.
President Trump Praises Sen. Hawley’s “Ending Support for Internet Censorship Act”
Senator Hawley said, “And that’s why we need to step up now, and I think we need to say to them, here’s the deal – Google, Facebook Twitter, they’ve gotten these special deals from government. They’ve gotten a special giveaway from government. They’re treated unlike anybody else. If they want to keep their special deal, here’s the bargain: they have to quit discriminating against conservatives. You agree with that? No more. No more discrimination. It’s that simple. That’s all were asking for.”
Senator Hawley Calls Out YouTube for Refusing to Stop Recommending Videos of Children to Pedophiles
Today in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing called Protecting Innocence in a Digital World, Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) called out YouTube for prioritizing ad revenue over children’s safety. Senator Hawley discussed the legislation he introduced to ban video-hosting websites like YouTube from automatically recommending videos of children. Hawley’s legislation followed The New York Times reporting that YouTube’s algorithm automatically curates home videos of children for pedophiles. “This...
Senators Warner and Hawley Introduce Bill to Force Social Media Companies to Disclose How They Are Monetizing User Data
“When a big tech company says its product is free, consumers are the ones being sold. These ‘free’ products track everything we do so tech companies can sell our information to the highest bidder and use it to target us with creepy ads,” said Sen. Hawley. “Even worse, tech companies do their best to hide how much consumer data is worth and to whom it is sold. This bipartisan legislation gives consumers control of their data and will show them how much these ‘free’ services actually cost.”
Senator Hawley Introduces Legislation to Amend Section 230 Immunity for Big Tech Companies
Sen. Hawley’s legislation removes the immunity big tech companies receive under Section 230 unless they submit to an external audit that proves by clear and convincing evidence that their algorithms and content-removal practices are politically neutral. Sen. Hawley’s legislation does not apply to small and medium-sized tech companies. “With Section 230, tech companies get a sweetheart deal that no other industry enjoys: complete exemption from traditional publisher liability in exchange for providing a forum free of political censorship,” said Sen. Hawley. “Unfortunately, and unsurprisingly, big tech has failed to hold up its end of the bargain.
Sen. Hawley Announces Legislation Forcing YouTube to Stop Catering to Pedophiles
“Every parent in America should be appalled that YouTube is pushing videos of their children to pedophiles. It’s equally outrageous that YouTube refuses to take the most effective step necessary to fix the issue. I’m proud to announce this legislation to force YouTube to do the right thing and place children’s safety over profits and pedophiles.”