Jordan subpoenas Alphabet for documents about the Biden-Harris censorship efforts

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH)subpoenaed Alphabet seeking communications between Alphabet and the executive branch, internal Alphabet communications discussing communications from the executive branch, and Alphabet communications with third parties that may have been working with the executive branch, in addition to other key information. The Committee continues to investigate how and to what extent the Biden-Harris Administration coerced or colluded with companies and other intermediaries, including alphabet, to censor lawful speech.

The Committee's oversight has revealed that YouTube, a subsidiary of Alphabet, was a direct participant in the federal government's censorship regime. In particular, the Committee obtained documents showing that the federal government successfully pressured YouTube to censor certain lawful content, including content that did not violate YouTube's content moderation policies. 

During the 118th Congress, the Committee's oversight uncovered how the Biden-Harris Administration repeatedly pressured online platforms to censor Americans directly and by proxy. Following this oversight, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, admitted that it was wrong to bow to the Biden-Harris Administration's demands, publicly committed to restoring free speech on its platforms, and reformed its policies. Alphabet, to the Committee's knowledge, has not similarly disavowed the Biden-Harris Administration's attempts to censor speech. 

To develop effective legislation, such as the possible enactment of new statutory limits on the executive branch's ability to work with Big Tech to restrict the circulation of content and deplatform users, the Committee must first understand how and to what extent the Biden-Harris Administration coerced and colluded with companies and other intermediaries to censor American speech.