McCarthy unveils plans to hold Big Tech accountable and ‘stop the bias’ – Fox Business
Check out what's clicking on FoxBusiness.com.
House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., unveiled plans over the weekend to hold Big Tech companies accountable for what he described as "conservative censorship" and anticompetitive practices.
In a letter to fellow Republicans on Sunday, McCarthy outlined plans that would curb existing legal protections for companies like Twitter if they censor content while making it easier for state attorneys general to bring antitrust actions against tech behemoths like Google and Amazon if they break the law.
ELON MUSK TROLLS JACK DORSEY ON BITCOIN, SETS DEBATE DATE
"For the sake of preserving free speech and a free economy, its time Big Tech faces the music," McCarthy said. "House Republicans are ready to lead."
The GOP leader pointed to 2018, when conservative figures such as Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., and Donald Trump Jr. were "shadow banned" on Twitter, while Google search results for "California Republicans" compared them to Nazis.
"Since then, the examples of conservative censorship and bias across internet platforms has proliferated," the letter said. "Each one of you are all too familiar with how Big Tech and its overwhelmingly liberal executives want to set the agenda and silence conservatives."
Fox News reached out to Twitter and Google for comment, but they did not immediately respond.
EXPERTS WARN BIG TECH ANTITRUST BILLS COULD SHACKLE INNOVATION AND HURT CONSUMERS
McCarthys plan, which he will be introducing this week alongside Reps. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Cathy Rodgers, R-Wash., includes rolling back protections under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which shields online platforms from liability regarding statements made by their users. Republicans have been arguing that social media companies like Twitter and Facebook should instead be treated more like newspapers because their history of censoring posts based on their messaging is more akin to editorial decision-making than simple enforcement of site rules.
The Republican plan, referred to as the "Framework to Stop the Bias and Check Big Tech," calls for a system of transparency, which would be implemented "by mandating that any Big Tech content moderation decisions or censorship must be listed, with specificity, on a publicly available website."
The last part of the plan addresses concerns of monopolistic practices. As an example, McCarthy claimed that Amazon, Apple and Google "use their platforms to tip the scales towards higher fees and their growing product lines," and that "just about every big technology company" copies products if they are made by competitors that they cannot just acquire.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
"We will provide an expedited court process with direct appeal to the Supreme Court and empower state attorneys general to help lead the charge against the tech giants to break them up," McCarthy said. "We will also reform the administrative state and remove impediments that delay taking action on Big Tech power."
Both parties have taken steps to rein in tech giants, but McCarthy claimed that his Democratic counterparts have not sufficiently addressed the problems, and have only exacerbated the situation.
"House Democrats have advanced a plan that not only ignores addressing conservative censorship, it makes it worse," McCarthy said. "And their plan empowers a federal bureaucracy with no accountability."
Meanwhile, as leaders in Washington look to go after the tech companies, experts have warned of the unintended consequences of passing sweeping antitrust legislation.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS
"Bills under review, as currently drafted, would condemn outright specified business practices and acquisitions by big digital platforms, without any inquiry into the facts on hand," former Federal Trade Commission (FTC) general counsel and Mercatus Center senior research fellow Alden Abbott said in a Thursday statement. "As such, they would outlaw and disincentivize a great deal of behavior that may benefit consumers and drive innovation."
Abbott added that the bills would "turn enforcers into regulators," which would slow innovation and spawn "economic inefficiency, to the detriment of the American economy."
Fox Business' Audrey Conklin and Megan Henney contributed to this report.
See the rest here:
McCarthy unveils plans to hold Big Tech accountable and 'stop the bias' - Fox Business
- Congress Is Considering Abolishing Your Right to Be Anonymous Online - The Intercept - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- The public deserves to know when Iran war reporting is stifled - Freedom of the Press Foundation - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- The Greenville Eight and Library Discrimination, Then and Now: Book Censorship News, March 6, 2026 - Book Riot - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Berlin Golden Bear Winner Ilker Catak Reacts to German Government Recommendations For Festival: We Would Have to Call It What It Is: Censorship -... - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- End User: Users should be aware of censorship on social platforms - The Ithacan - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Press must be transparent about wartime censorship - Freedom of the Press Foundation - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Oklahoma, Florida, Idaho Propose More Restrictive Book Bills | Censorship News - School Library Journal - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- The Toronto Film Critics Association Is Falling Apart - Vulture - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Golden Bear winner warns of possible German government 'censorship' - Euronews.com - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Censorship is a tool of the state but it's also a tool of the censored - Independent Australia - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Censoring Courses Isnt the Law in Texas. Public Universities Are Doing It Anyway. - The Chronicle of Higher Education - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Workshop on Investigating Prison Book Bans - The Marshall Project - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Elle-Mij Tailfeathers Rejects TFCA Award Over Alleged Censorship of Acceptance Speech Mentioning Palestine - TheWrap - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says in deposition that he resisted censoring platforms - ABC News - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- The Unseen Cost: Media Censorship and the Human Face of War - Devdiscourse - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Roblox is censoring chats with AI - The Verge - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says in deposition that he resisted censoring platforms - chronicleonline.com - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Europes global censorship threat, spare us the moral posturing, lefties and other commentary - New York Post - March 4th, 2026 [March 4th, 2026]
- WhatsApp officially names Mullvad and Amnezia VPN as go-to tools for bypassing censorship - TechRadar - March 4th, 2026 [March 4th, 2026]
- Inside Scoop: America off the rails, Colbert censorship controversy, Royal Reckoning - Washington Examiner - March 4th, 2026 [March 4th, 2026]
- Two Views on AI in Chinas Censorship and Influence Operations - China Digital Times - March 4th, 2026 [March 4th, 2026]
- Internet blackout is tool of desperate regime to isolate Iranians, say experts - The Guardian - March 4th, 2026 [March 4th, 2026]
- The Right Expands Its Campaign to Censor College Professors - The Progressive - March 4th, 2026 [March 4th, 2026]
- Author Sandra Cisneros to Texas A&M: The word is watching you censor education - Houston Chronicle - March 4th, 2026 [March 4th, 2026]
- Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says in deposition that he resisted censoring platforms - Traverse City Record-Eagle - March 4th, 2026 [March 4th, 2026]
- More than 200 schools sign a manifesto against the censorship of Catalan and island authors - Diari ARA - March 4th, 2026 [March 4th, 2026]
- Advocates: Prohibit Admin From Censoring ICE Reporting Tools 03/02/2026 - MediaPost - March 4th, 2026 [March 4th, 2026]
- CNN reporter's live 'gaffe' in Iran war coverage from Israel goes viral; did she admit censorship? | Watch | Hindustan Times - Hindustan Times - March 4th, 2026 [March 4th, 2026]
- Lost in Translation: How Misunderstanding Free Speech Undermines the Very Purpose it Claims to Serve - Verfassungsblog - March 4th, 2026 [March 4th, 2026]
- Susan Sarandon Says She Was Banned From Hollywood After Calling for Gaza Ceasefire: I Feel Repression and Censorship in United States - Variety - March 2nd, 2026 [March 2nd, 2026]
- Trumps Selective War on Censorship - Human Rights Watch - March 2nd, 2026 [March 2nd, 2026]
- The View censors Whoopi Goldberg during on-air discussion about Bill Gates and Jeffrey Epstein - AOL.com - March 2nd, 2026 [March 2nd, 2026]
- Opinion: Another year, another school censorship bill - Concord Monitor - March 2nd, 2026 [March 2nd, 2026]
- Inside Texas A&Ms Scramble to Censor Its Curriculum - The Chronicle of Higher Education - March 2nd, 2026 [March 2nd, 2026]
- Rep. Boyle calls for federal protections for Independence Mall and other sites - WHYY - March 2nd, 2026 [March 2nd, 2026]
- Lawsuit targets censorship at Grand Teton, other national parks - KHOL 89.1 FM - March 2nd, 2026 [March 2nd, 2026]
- Is the FCC 'equal time' rule leading to media censorship and self-censorship? - NPR - March 2nd, 2026 [March 2nd, 2026]
- Free speech is the casualty in Ukraine war - Index on Censorship - March 2nd, 2026 [March 2nd, 2026]
- The Personal is Political: M. Lin on Censorship and The Memory Museum - see you next tuesday media - March 2nd, 2026 [March 2nd, 2026]
- A professor challenged the Smithsonian. Security shut the gallery. - The Washington Post - March 2nd, 2026 [March 2nd, 2026]
- Colbert, CBS, censorship, and the FCC - Drexel Triangle - March 2nd, 2026 [March 2nd, 2026]
- Academics and students face censorship for Palestinian support - Times Higher Education - March 2nd, 2026 [March 2nd, 2026]
- More Censorship May be Heading Our Way (Does Hollywood Care?) - Hollywood in Toto - March 2nd, 2026 [March 2nd, 2026]
- Letter: Library display highlights the rise in challenged books - Squamish Chief - March 2nd, 2026 [March 2nd, 2026]
- Press Release: Congressman Brendan Boyle Introduces Legislation to Protect American History from Censorship - Quiver Quantitative - March 2nd, 2026 [March 2nd, 2026]
- Geeses Acceptance Speech Got Censored at the BRITS - Vulture - March 2nd, 2026 [March 2nd, 2026]
- Apple News is censoring conservatives; Republicans are fighting back - Elizabethton Star - March 2nd, 2026 [March 2nd, 2026]
- They Helped Women Fight Online Abuse. They Were Barred From the U.S. - The New York Times - March 2nd, 2026 [March 2nd, 2026]
- TikTok Returns to Albania After Ban Expires, Safety Debate Grows - Global Banking & Finance Review - March 2nd, 2026 [March 2nd, 2026]
- US to unveil platform aiming to bypass internet censorship in China, Iran and beyond - Fox News - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- Chinas King of Banned Films Wants to Change the Subject - The New York Times - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- The whole world has been saying it for years: the EU Commission weaponized its censorship law against Elon the second he bought Twitter and turned it... - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- Film shot inside Iran breaks censorship ground with intimate scenes - - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- Berlin Film Festival Rejects Accusation Of Censorship On Gaza - Barron's - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- University of North Texas Students Withdraw Thesis Shows, Citing Censorship - Hyperallergic - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- Coalition Files Lawsuit to Challenge Censorship, Erasure of American History and Science at National Parks - Union of Concerned Scientists - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- ACLU of Texas, NCAC Urge University of North Texas to Apologize and Uphold Academic Freedom after Apparent Censorship of Art Exhibit Critical of ICE -... - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- Censoring gender in higher education impacts more than just trans people - The University News - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- Announcement Concerning the Recent Censorship of Former President Jos Jer - Dentons - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- AG Drummond demands answers from YouTube over alleged conservative censorship - News 9 - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- 'Ethereum Is Going Hard': Vitalik Buterin Backs Censorship Resistance Upgrade - Decrypt - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- Accusations of Censorship Mark the First Month of American-Owned TikTok - hercampus.com - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- FCC's Carr weighs in on the feud with Colbert, vowing to 'hold broadcasters responsible' - Business Insider - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- Sixteen Attorneys General Demand Answers on YouTube Censorship - Focus on the Family - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- Drummond demands answers from YouTube over alleged censorship of conservative voices - Ponca City Now - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- No Censorship Here at All, Carr Says as FCC Opens Equal-Time Probe Into 'The View' - Law.com - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- More than 100 film artists condemn Berlinales censorship of opposition to Israels Gaza genocide - World Socialist Web Site - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- Berlin Film Festival rejects accusation of censorship on Gaza - The Killeen Daily Herald - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- FCC Chair Reacts To Censorship Claims Over Colbert-Talarico Interview - Newsweek - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- Censorship, Control, and the Far Right: Berlinale Confronts Europes Anxiety - - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- Few American writers have proved so alluring to the censors as Toni Morrison. What made her one of our greatest and most dangerous novelists was her... - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- US to unveil platform aiming to bypass internet censorship in China, Iran and beyond - WFMD - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- Forget the critics, censoring the media in Gaza wont harm democracy - Israel National News - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- The Streisand effect and how CBS censorship of Rep. James Talarico was a win-win for him and Stephen Colberts - Diario AS - February 22nd, 2026 [February 22nd, 2026]
- Too sinister to be pathetic, too pathetic to be wholly sinister: FCC, CBS accused of censorship - MS NOW - February 18th, 2026 [February 18th, 2026]
- Fandoms lighthouse in a sea of censorship - FIRE | Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression - February 18th, 2026 [February 18th, 2026]
- As internet in U.S. and China looks more alike, she wrote a book on 'dancing' around censorship - KJZZ - February 18th, 2026 [February 18th, 2026]
- FCC commissioner condemns censorship following Stephen Colbert comments on Talarico interview - Editor and Publisher - February 18th, 2026 [February 18th, 2026]
- Prison-Style Free Speech Censorship Is Coming for the Rest of Us - The Intercept - February 18th, 2026 [February 18th, 2026]
- State censorship shapes how Chinese chatbots respond to sensitive political topics, study suggests - Phys.org - February 18th, 2026 [February 18th, 2026]