House lawmakers form new caucus to rein in Big Tech
GOP lawmakers say they aim to hold Big Tech companies accountable
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A group of GOP lawmakers on Friday launched a new caucus aimed at curbing the power of Big Tech companies and protect the freedom of speech on the digital platforms.
The Freedom from Big Tech Caucus will be led by Reps. Ken Buck of Colorado and Lance Gooden of Texas. Other founding members include Reps. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina, Burgess Owens of Utah and Paul Gosar of Arizona.
"Big Tech has abused its market power for decades, and Congress must act to hold these companies accountable and preserve the free market, promote competition and innovation, protect the freedom of speech, and foster a thriving digital economy," Buck said in a statement Friday announcing the new group.
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The lawmakers aim to unite the Republicans in Congress to rein in Big Tech companies through legislation, education and public awareness efforts. They accused the tech giants of trying to "rig" the free market, crush competitors, "cozy up" to China and censor Americans.
"Regulators have been asleep at the wheel while Big Tech has fleeced the American public of our personal data and our freedom of speech with their monopolistic behavior," Gooden said in a statement. "It’s time we rein in Big Tech."
Goals for the caucus include anti-trust reforms that would promote competition and "restore the free and dynamic digital economy."
The formation of the caucus comes as lawmakers are divided on how best to rein in Big Tech, Axios reports. The House Judiciary Committee last month advanced anti-trust bills to limit future acquisitions for Apple, Google, Facebook and Amazon and to prevent them from favoring their own products.
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Buck and Gooden have been supportive of these bipartisan anti-trust moves, whereas Rep. Jim Jordan, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, has not. Democrats have been divided too, with California Democrats representing areas around the Big Tech companies not on board.
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The caucus said it also aims to better protect individuals' privacy rights and data and protect children from harmful online content.