Yesterday, the world heard from the whistleblower who exposed what’s happening behind-the-scenes and in secret at Facebook. Now we have even more proof that Big Tech companies abuse their power to manipulate the truth, undermine free speech, and harm our children.

Here’s what Energy and Commerce Republican Leader Cathy McMorris Rodgers has to say about it:

“It’s now even more painfully obvious Big Tech companies like Facebook don’t want Americans to know the truth about their perverse incentive structures to make more money and consolidate more power.

“The Left and their allies in the mainstream media want to use this moment and what we’ve learned from Facebook’s internal documents to push for more censorship of conservatives under the guise of misinformation. This is wrong and un-American. Censorship will never build trust, and undermining free speech is how Big Tech keeps us divided. The answer should be more speech, not less.

“We must not lose focus on the research that the whistleblower brought forward: Facebook harms our children. Big Tech must be completely transparent about the impact of their products and how they engineer addiction among children. Parents need the truth so they can make informed decisions about their kids use of Big Tech products. The Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans will continue to demand transparency and accountability and will not rest until we get it.”--Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA)

Note: For anyone who would like to come forward with more information about Big Tech’s abuse of power, whistleblowers can reach Energy and Commerce Republicans at bigtech@mail.house.gov.

BIG TECH IS A DESTRUCTIVE FORCE 

On March 25, Leader Rodgers asked Mark Zuckerberg: 

“Over 20 years ago, before we knew what Big Tech would become, Congress gave you liability protections. I want to know, why do you think you still deserve those protections today?”

Big Tech has broken our trust and must be held accountable. Big Tech companies like Facebook have: 

• Silenced President Donald Trump and conservatives—while shielding celebrities and oppressive regimes like China and Iran from their moderation standards; 


• Censored views they disagree with and that don’t fit their liberal orthodoxy; 


• Shut down constitutionally protected free speech without any accountability or transparency as to why;  


• Suppressed information like the Wuhan Lab Theory, which undermined the U.S. and helped the Chinese Communist Party; and 


• Prioritized profits over the mental health and wellbeing of our children.  

• Limiting liability protections for moderation of speech that is not protected by the First Amendment; 


• Ensuring Big Tech is responsible for how they use their algorithms to amplify, promote, or suggest third-party content to platform users; 


• Sunsetting Section 230 in 5 years, which will incentivize them not to censor constitutionally protected free speech; 


• Empowering Americans to challenge Big Tech by establishing a formal appeals process; and  


• Requiring Big Tech to be transparent about how they silence people.