House Republicans are ramping up pressure on Google’s parent company, Alphabet, demanding internal records related to alleged censorship efforts involving the Biden administration. The GOP-led House Judiciary Committee has issued a subpoena, intensifying its ongoing investigation into potential government influence over online content moderation.
In a letter addressed to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) called for the release of communications between the tech giant and the executive branch, along with any relevant discussions with third parties that may have collaborated with the administration.
We obtained a copy of the letter for you here.
“The Committee on the Judiciary continues to investigate how and to what extent the executive branch coerced or colluded with companies and other intermediaries to censor lawful speech,” Jordan stated in the letter.
Republicans have long contended that the Biden administration exerted undue influence over major tech firms, pressuring them to suppress certain viewpoints, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. After reclaiming the House majority in early 2023, the GOP launched a broad investigation into censorship, scrutinizing government interactions with platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Amazon.
Jordan highlighted that this investigation has already yielded significant findings, pointing to Meta’s admission that it had succumbed to pressure from the Biden administration. In response to the House probe, Meta reversed course, acknowledging past missteps and pledging to uphold free speech moving forward.
However, Jordan noted that Alphabet has yet to follow suit. “Alphabet, to our knowledge, has not similarly disavowed the Biden-Harris Administration’s attempts to censor speech,” he wrote. He stressed the necessity of understanding the full extent of government-driven censorship to inform potential legislative reforms aimed at safeguarding civil liberties.
The Judiciary Committee’s findings reportedly show that YouTube, a subsidiary of Alphabet, played a central role in what Jordan described as the federal government’s “censorship regime.”
Documents obtained by the committee indicate that YouTube was pressured to remove content that was legally protected speech and did not violate its own moderation policies.
