The US House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Jim Jordan, announced on Thursday that it has issued subpoenas to eight prominent technology companies. The move seeks to gather information about the firms’ communications with foreign governments concerning censorship, potentially impacting free speech in the United States.
The subpoenas, which were sent on Wednesday, target Alphabet, Meta, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, X Corp, Rumble, and TikTok. The committee is specifically requesting details on how these companies comply with foreign censorship laws, regulations, and judicial orders. The inquiry arises amid concerns about possible limitations on Americans’ free speech rights.
“The Committee must understand how and to what extent foreign governments have limited Americans’ access to lawful speech in the United States, as well as the extent to which the Biden-Harris Administration aided or abetted these efforts,” Jordan, a Republican, stated in a released statement.
Jordan’s statement highlighted censorship laws in the United Kingdom, the European Union, Brazil, and Australia. He expressed concerns these restrictions might influence content policies within the United States.
The subpoenas arrive amidst increasing tensions between tech platforms and European regulators. Earlier this year, Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated, “Europe has an ever increasing number of laws institutionalising censorship and making it difficult to build anything innovative there.” These comments followed Meta’s decision to discontinue its US fact-checking programs.
The European Commission firmly refuted these allegations, with a spokesperson stating, “We absolutely refute any claims of censorship.” The Commission further clarified that its Digital Services Act only requires platforms to remove illegal content, not lawful speech. The spokesperson added that the Commission “did not force or request platforms to remove lawful content.”
A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed receipt of the subpoena, noting the company is “engaged with the committee and committed to working in good faith.”
Tim Murtaugh, a spokesperson for video platform Rumble, also acknowledged receipt of the subpoena. He added, “We look forward to sharing information related to the ongoing efforts of numerous governments around the globe who seek to suppress the innate human right to self-expression.”
The other companies have yet to publicly comment on the subpoenas.
These subpoenas follow the Federal Trade Commission’s recent launch of an inquiry into “tech censorship.” FTC chair Andrew Ferguson explained the probe will help the agency “better understand how these firms may have violated the law by silencing and intimidating Americans for speaking their minds.”
This marks the second time in recent years that the Republican-led committee has targeted tech companies over censorship concerns. In 2023, the panel subpoenaed several firms, including Alphabet and Meta, demanding communications between the companies and the US government.
