Big Tech firms subpoenaed by US committee over foreign government censorship claims

The US House Judiciary Committee has issued subpoenas to eight major technology companies seeking information about their communications with foreign governments regarding censorship, committee chairman Jim Jordan announced on Thursday.

The subpoenas, sent on Wednesday, target Alphabet, Meta, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, X Corp, Rumble and TikTok. The committee is requesting details about how these firms comply with foreign censorship laws, regulations and judicial orders amid concerns about potential limitations on Americans’ free speech.

“The Committee must understand how and to what extent foreign governments have limited Americans’ access to lawful speech in the United States, as well as the extent to which the Biden-Harris Administration aided or abetted these efforts,” Jordan, a Republican, said in a statement.

Jordan specifically highlighted censorship laws in the United Kingdom, European Union, Brazil and Australia, expressing concern that such restrictions could affect what content companies allow in the United States.

The subpoenas come amid growing tensions between tech platforms and European regulators. Earlier this year, Meta Platforms chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg claimed that “Europe has an ever increasing number of laws institutionalising censorship and making it difficult to build anything innovative there.” His comments followed Meta’s decision to scrap its US fact-checking programs.

The European Commission firmly rejected these allegations, with a spokesperson stating, “We absolutely refute any claims of censorship.” The Commission maintained that its Digital Services Act only requires platforms to remove illegal content, not lawful speech, and that it “did not force or request platforms to remove lawful content.”

A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed the company had received the subpoena from the House Judiciary Committee, stating they are “engaged with the committee and committed to working in good faith.”

Tim Murtaugh, a spokesperson for video platform Rumble, also acknowledged receipt of the subpoena, adding: “We look forward to sharing information related to the ongoing efforts of numerous governments around the globe who seek to suppress the innate human right to self-expression.”

The other companies are yet to comment on the demand.

The subpoenas follow the Federal Trade Commission’s recent launch of an inquiry into “tech censorship.” FTC chair Andrew Ferguson said the probe will help the agency “better understand how these firms may have violated the law by silencing and intimidating Americans for speaking their minds.”

This marks the second time in recent years that the Republican-led committee has targeted tech companies over censorship concerns. In 2023, the panel subpoenaed several firms, including Alphabet and Meta, demanding communications between the companies and the US government.