Hearing: Preserving Free Speech and Reining in Big Tech Censorship

Subcommittee on Communications and Technology (Committee on Energy and Commerce)

2322 RHOB
Washington, D.C.

Witnesses

Support Documents

• Hearing Notice [PDF]
• Hearing Memo [PDF] Added 03/27/2023 at 10:27 AM
• 2. A letter to President Biden on July 22, 2021 [PDF] Added 03/28/2023 at 04:11 PM
• 1. A letter to Surgeon General Murthy regarding the 1st Amendment [PDF] Added 03/28/2023 at 04:11 PM
• 3. A report titled, “A Peek into the Political Biases in Email Spam Filtering Algorithms During US Election 2020” [PDF] Added 03/28/2023 at 04:11 PM
• 4. An article entitled “BIAS! Google Search Results for ‘Pregnancy’ Prop Up Planned Parenthood Day Before March for Life” [PDF] Added 03/28/2023 at 04:11 PM
• 5. An article entitled “Big Tech’s Conservative Censorship Inescapable and Irrefutable” [PDF] Added 03/28/2023 at 04:11 PM
• 6. An article entitled “CENSORSHIP MILESTONE: CensorTrack Hits 5,000 Documented Cases of Big Tech Censorship” [PDF] Added 03/28/2023 at 04:11 PM
• 7. An article entitled “Google CAUGHT Manipulating Search, Buries GOP Campaign Sites in 83% of Top Senate Races” [PDF] Added 03/28/2023 at 04:11 PM
• 8. A request for information from HHS [PDF] Added 03/28/2023 at 04:11 PM
• 9. An article entitled “MRC CensorTrack Tallies 156 Times Big Tech Censored Users Who Affirm Science on Gender” [PDF] Added 03/28/2023 at 04:11 PM
• 10. A letter to President Biden on September 13, 2022 [PDF] Added 03/28/2023 at 04:11 PM
• 11. A report from Napa Legal [PDF] Added 03/28/2023 at 04:11 PM
• 12. Testimony by Michael Shellenberger on 03.09.23 [PDF] Added 03/28/2023 at 04:11 PM
• 13. An article entitled “STILL AT IT! Google Buries Big Tech Critics’ Campaign Websites Ahead of Midterms” [PDF] Added 03/28/2023 at 04:11 PM
• 14. An article entitled “STUDY: CensorTrack Documents Over 800 Cases of Big Tech Censoring COVID-19 Debate” [PDF] Added 03/28/2023 at 04:11 PM
• 15. An article from the Free Press entitled “Twitter’s Secret Blacklists” [PDF] Added 03/28/2023 at 04:11 PM
• 16. An article from the Free Press entitled “Why Twitter really banned Trump” [PDF] Added 03/28/2023 at 04:11 PM
• 17. An article entitled “The White House Covid Censorship Machine” [PDF] Added 03/28/2023 at 04:11 PM
• 18. An article entitled “Top 6 Worst CensorTrack Cases of 2022: Big Tech Censored God, Veterans and So Much More” [PDF] Added 03/28/2023 at 04:11 PM
• 19. State of Louisiana, State of Missouri v. Joseph R. Biden [PDF] Added 03/28/2023 at 04:11 PM
• 20. Report from the Anti-Defamation League titled “Hate Is No Game: Hate and Harassment in Online Games 2022” [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:28 PM
• 21. Report from the Anti-Defamation League titled “Online Hate and Harassment: The American Experience 2022” [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:28 PM
• 22. Memo from Anti-Defamation League titled “Social Media Election Policies: The Good, the Bad, and the Misinformed” [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:28 PM
• 23. Associated Press story from March 22, 2023 titled “DeSantis to Expand ‘Don’t Say Gay’ to all grades” [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:28 PM
• 24. Ars Technica story from October 27, 2022 titled “Section 230 Shields TikTok in Child’s ‘Blackout Challenge’ Death Lawsuit” [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:28 PM
• 25. Axios story titled “Book Ban Attempts Reach ‘Unparalleled 20-year High in 2022” [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:28 PM
• 26. Brookings Institution publication titled “Back to the Future for Section 230 Reform” [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:28 PM
• 27. CNN Business story from May 28, 2020 titled “Trump Sats Right-wing Voices are Being Censored. The data says something else.” [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:28 PM
• 28. Guardian story from February 1, 2021 titled “claim of anti-conservative bias by social media firms is baseless, report finds.” [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:28 PM
• 29. Opinion piece from Suzanne Nozzel published in the Guardian on March 10, 2023 titled “The drag show bans sweeping the US are a chilling attack on free speech” [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:28 PM
• 30. Inside High Ed story from March 23, 2023 titled “House Panel Targets Universities, Scholars” [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:28 PM
• 31. Opinion piece from Carrie Goldberg published in Lawfare on August 14, 2019 titled “Herrick v. Grindr: Why Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act Must be Fixed” [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:28 PM
• 32. Report published by Media Matters for America on February 8, 2022 titled “As YouTube and Google Ban Dan Bongino for misinformation, Facebook profits from helping him promote the same false and sensational content” [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:28 PM
• 33. Report published by Media Matters for America on March 16, 2023 titled “Beyond Andrew Tate: Meet the misogynistic “manosphere” influencers proliferating across social media” [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:28 PM
• 34. Media Matters article indicating that Breibart thrives on Facebook. [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:28 PM
• 35. Media Matters article indicating that Elon Musk caters to far-right Twitter accounts. [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:28 PM
• 36. Media Matters article indicating that Elon Musk is unilaterally reinstating banned Twitter accounts. [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:28 PM
• 37. Media Matters article indicating that Facebook has problem with sensational and misleading content. [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:28 PM
• 38. Media Matters article indicating that Facebook tweaked its News Feed algorithm, and right-leaning pages reaped the benefits. [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:28 PM
• 39. Media Matters article indicating that misinformation about the midterm elections is already flourishing on TikTok. [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:28 PM
• 40. Media Matters article indicating that Elon Musk’s Twitter Files repackage debunked claims. [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:28 PM
• 42. Media Matters article indicating that TikTok continues to allow videos of neo-Nazi to go viral. [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:28 PM
• 43. Media Matters article indicating that TikTok’s algorithm is amplifying Covid-19 and vaccine information. [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:28 PM
• 44. Media Matters article indicating that “Libs of TikTok” calls for all openly LGBTQ teachers to be fired. [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:28 PM
• 45. MSNBC article indicating that Tucker Carlson just supercharged the Libs of TikTok anti-LGBTQ bigotry. [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:28 PM
• 46. NBC News article indicating that Anti-LGBTQ threats shut down trans right and drag events. [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:28 PM
• 47. Newsweek article indicating that after Club Q shooting, right-wing accounts attacked Colorado Drag Show. [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 48. NPR article describing research about the spread of far-right misinformation on Facebook. [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 49. NY Times article about social media content exacerbating eating disorders for teens and children. [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 50. NY Times article describing research showing a sharp rise in antisemitic, anti-LGBTQ, and racist hate speech on Twitter after Elon Musk’s takeover. [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 51. Report from NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights entitled “False Accusation: The Unfounded Claim that Social Media Companies Censor Conservatives.” [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 52. Report from PEN American entitled “Banned in the USA: The Growing Movement to Censor Books in Schools.” [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 53. PEN American index counting educational gag orders in the United States. [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 54. Politico article describing Elon Musk’s decision to stop enforcing Twitter’s COVID-19 misinformation policy after buying the company. [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 55. Politico article featuring quotes from a Facebook executive describing how and why right-wing content is more engaging on the platform and detailing metrics indicating that conservative voices dominated Facebook in the run up to the 2020 election. [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 56. ProPublica article describing Republican political targeting of research institutions and the chilling effect it has on research. [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 57. Rolling Stone article describing Twitter database of Republican requests to censor posts. [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 58. A post on SCOTUSblog from January 23, 2023 titled “Justices request federal govenrment’s views on Texas and Florida social-media laws” [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 59. Statement for the Record of Media Matters for America regarding the hearing of the Subcommittee on Communications & Technology hearing on March 28, 2023. [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 60. TechDirt story from March 22, 2023 titled “Matt Taibbi can’t comprehend that there are reasons to study propaganda information flows, so he insists it must be nefarious” [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 61. The Verge story from July 14, 2022 titled “Omegle can be sued for matching child with sexual predator, says court” [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 62. The Wrap story from April 20, 2022 titled “Unmasked Libs of TikTok author draws support from conservatives, makes deal with Babylon Bee CEO” [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 63. Time story from September 28, 2022 titled “Meta’s Facebook Algorithms ‘Proactively’ promoted Violence against the Rohingya, new Amnesty International report asserts” [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 64. UN News story from January 6, 2023 titled “Urgent need for more accountability from social media giants to curb hate speech: UN experts” [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 65. Vanity Fair story from March 1, 2023 titled “A Texas Republican wants to ban people from reading about how to get an abortion online” [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 66. Vice Story from March 1, 2023 titled “The GOP is weaponizing LibsofTikTok’s Anti-‘Woke’ Hate” [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 67. Washington Post story from October 18, 2022 titled “An explosion of culture war laws is changing schools. Here’s how” [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 68. Article from Washington Post identifying the skyrocketing of antisemitism on Twitter in the time since Elon Musk took control of the company and platform management [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 69. Article from Washington Post regarding “Libs of TikTok’s” online behavior targeting LGBTQ people [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 70. Article from Washington Post regarding legislation in South Carolina to censor information on about abortion [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 71. Article from Washington Post identifying “Libs of TikTok” as source for right-wing threats of violence to children’s hospitals [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 72. Article from Wall Street Journal regarding Facebook disabling academic researchers’ access to political -ad targeting [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 73. Article from Wall Street Journal showing right-wing extremists used Facebook’s “Groups” feature to organize and direct violence [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 74. Series of articles from the Wall Street Journal (The Facebook Files) exposing Facebook’s pattern of appeasing conservatives claiming political bias [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 75. Article from Reuters regarding President Trump’s threats to revoke broadcast TV licenses over critical reporting [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 76. Article from Yahoo News about Trump campaign’s tactics to block certain political advertisements [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 77. Article from The Hill about former President Trump’s request for Twitter to remove a critical tweet from Chrissy Teigen [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 78. Memo from Stanford Internet Observatory correcting inaccurate claims in the hearing record [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:56 PM
• 41. Media Matters article indicating that January 6 investigators confirm that social media platforms bent their rules ahead of the insurrection. [PDF] Added 03/30/2023 at 10:10 AM
• Republican Staff Attendance [PDF] Added 08/02/2023 at 09:28 AM

Member Statements

• Opening Statement - Robert E. Latta [PDF] Added 03/28/2023 at 04:11 PM
• Opening Statement - Cathy McMorris Rodgers [PDF] Added 03/28/2023 at 04:11 PM
• Opening Statement - Frank Pallone [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:28 PM
• Opening Statement - Doris Matsui [PDF] Added 03/29/2023 at 03:28 PM

Hearing Record

• Member Attendance [PDF] Added 08/02/2023 at 09:28 AM
• Hearing Transcript [PDF] Added 08/02/2023 at 09:28 AM

First Published: March 21, 2023 at 10:41 AM
Last Updated: August 2, 2023 at 09:28 AM