The performance of Big Techs in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the scene of a heated debate among congressmen in the United States. Members of the Republican Party are preparing to investigate an alleged action by companies in conjunction with the country’s government to suppress freedom of expression by conservatives on the subject.
The discussion ended up at the House Judiciary Committee, which subpoenaed the CEOChief executive officeror executive director.”>1 and Apple, Tim Cookas well as the heads of Alphabet Sundar Pichai Amazon (Andy Jassy), da Meta (Mark Zuckerberg) and by Microsoft (Satya Nadella) to provide documents related to their companies’ communication with the federal government on topics such as moderation, exclusion and circulation of content about the pandemic.
The subpoena was signed by the chairman of the committee, Republican Jim Jordam. According to the agency, the companies have been contacted since December last year, but have not “properly responded” to the requests. Now, they have until March 23 to submit the required documents.
Congress has an important role in protecting and advancing fundamental principles of free speech, including examining how private actors collaborate with government to suppress First Amendment-protected speech. These subpoenas are the first step in holding the Big Techs.
It is not yet known what motivated the subpoena to the CEO of Apple, but everything indicates that there is a direct relationship with the App Store. In 2021, for example, the company removed software from its app store aimed at promoting meetings between anti-vaccine people, as an attempt to prevent the spread of incorrect information about the virus.
Left out…
How well scored the The Wall Street Journal, Elon Muskcurrent CEO of Twitterdid not enter the list of executives subpoenaed by the committee — although the social network was one of those that acted more rigorously against false news associated with the virus and health and distancing measures in the midst of the pandemic.
Musk, it should be noted, was not in charge of the company at the time, in addition to being seen as a more “friendly” voice to conservatives by Republican congressmen. Jordan has even used the current Twitter as an example of how to act, due to the release of files such as those referring to the decision to ban former President Donald Trump from the platform in 2021.