According to a report from Just The News, House GOP members have introduced a bill that would ban federal government-Big Tech collusion efforts to censor the free speech rights of Americans.
It’s called The Protecting Speech from Government Interference Act.
“The collusion between bureaucrats and Big Tech has gone on for far too long. Government agencies shouldn’t censor the free speech of Americans,” said Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) who is helping lead the effort. “The Protecting Speech from Government Interference Act is an important first step toward transparency and accountability for Biden’s bureaucrats and Big Tech.”
From Just The News:
The bill would prevent federal officials from using their influence or authority, “including contracting, grantmaking, rulemaking, licensing, permitting, investigatory, or enforcement actions – to promote the censorship of lawful speech or advocate that a third party or private entity censor speech.”
For violators, the bill uses the same penalties for violations of the Hatch Act, which can include removal, fines, or a reduction in pay. The bill singles out high-level officials, banning them from personally advocating for this kind of censorship.
The House now has a Republican majority, emboldening those lawmakers. However, their legislation will still have a tough time in the divided Senate and faces a potential veto from President Joe Biden.
That legislation, though, can give a window into what action Republicans will take if they win the White House and Senate in 2024.
“The actions taken by the Biden administration to pressure Big Tech to censor content online are an attack on our fundamental right to free speech,” said Energy and Commerce Committee Chair McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) who is also helping lead the effort. “It’s time for this behavior to end.”
Recent releases of “The Twitter Files” have exposed the extent to which the federal government pressured Big Tech to censor and spin the narrative on everything from COVID to Russia Gate.
More over at Just The News:
New bill in GOP-controlled House would ban feds from working with Big Tech to censor Americans | Just The News https://t.co/NiPLrpERs1
— Just the News (@JustTheNews) January 16, 2023
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