Draft order would trigger an investigation by antitrust authorities
The White House is working on an executive order that will launch a massive investigation into big tech companies on antitrust grounds, according to reports.
The organization obtained a draft order that would trigger an investigation by antitrust authorities to investigate online social platforms and also request other agencies to recommend government actions that could “protect competition among online platforms and address online platform bias,” according to Bloomberg.
The executive order is still in preliminary stages, according to a White House official who told reportedly told the new outlet.
The WE reports: This is not the first time President Trump has threatened an investigation into tech companies’ practices.
The president has repeatedly hurled criticism at tech and social media companies for what he terms suppressing conservative voices, calling on them to “let everybody participate, good and bad.”
The Justice Department has already invited a bipartisan group of 24 state attorneys general to meet with Attorney General Jeff Sessions next week “to discuss a growing concern that these companies may be hurting competition and intentionally stifling the free exchange of ideas on their platforms,” according to a Justice Department statement.
Executives from Facebook and Twitter appeared in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee earlier this month to discuss their decisions about suspending bad actors, and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey appeared in front of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce the same day to discuss moderating online content.
Trump insisted in July that he would call on the federal government to investigate reports of “shadow banning” on Twitter, a practice in which users do not show up in searches.
“We will look into this discriminatory and illegal practice at once!” he tweeted at the time.