Speaking at an event organized by the conservative organization the Heritage Foundation, Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) criticized Big Tech for abusing its power through censorship and anti-competitive practices. He singled out Google as the “greatest threat to speech in the market.”
To highlight Big Tech’s anti-competitive practices, Buck recalled what happened to the social media platform Parler after the Jan 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol. Apple and Google booted the app from their app stores following allegations that it allowed Trump supporters to mobilize to organize the riots. Amazon took the platform offline by withdrawing its hosting services.
“They were able to take Parler down in a matter of a few days,” Buck said, as reported by Epoch. “Twitter was being used at the Capitol on January 6th. Facebook was being used…Parler was a competitor and January 6th provided the perfect excuse to wipe it out.”
Buck, a ranking member of the House Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law Subcommittee, said that Google holds so much power in search that it can influence the outcome of elections.
“I’m a free market person. I apply that principle to just about everywhere,” Buck said. “When Google controls 94 percent of the searches in this country, you don’t have a free market.”
“…They affect the outcome of elections because there is no free market,” he said. “Congress needs to step up and update the law.”
Buck has introduced several bipartisan bills, which were passed by the House in September, aimed at limiting the power of Big Tech. The Congressman has proposed incentivizing states to sue companies for violating antitrust laws, additional funding for the Department of Justice to be able to enforce antitrust law, and forcing tech companies to disclose subsidies received from China.
“One of the reasons these companies are powerful is because they’re good,” Buck said. “You actually can have an impact on the market with your personal choices…Be part of this solution.”
