Meta may have adjusted its content moderation policies in the name of “free speech,” but the battle over online censorship is far from over. On Thursday, Representative Jim Jordan issued a subpoena to Alphabet, Google’s parent company, demanding documents that could reveal whether YouTube removed content at the request of the Biden-Harris administration. Jordan alleges that the platform has been “a direct participant in the federal government’s censorship regime.”
For years, Republican lawmakers have argued that Big Tech companies manipulate algorithms and moderation policies to suppress conservative voices. This criticism has only intensified since 2021, when Donald Trump was banned from Twitter (now X) following January 6. Since becoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee in 2023, Jordan has used his position to investigate major technology companies, including Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, and Apple. He believes these companies have unfairly targeted conservative accounts under pressure from the Biden administration’s Department of Justice, violating free speech rights.
Republican-led investigation into Big Tech censorship
The push to expose alleged government influence over social media content has yielded some results. Last May, the House Judiciary Committee published a report claiming that the Biden administration repeatedly pressured Meta to remove certain posts. Jordan argues that this led to the company censoring conservative content. In response, Meta admitted failing to follow these requests and vowed to change its policies to protect free speech better.
Jordan now wants to see if Alphabet owns YouTube and has engaged in similar actions. In his letter accompanying the subpoena, he pointed to Meta’s policy shift, stating, “Following this oversight, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, admitted that it was wrong to bow to the Biden-Harris Administration’s demands, publicly committed to restoring free speech on its platforms, and reformed its policies. To our knowledge, Alphabet has not similarly disavowed the Biden-Harris Administration’s attempts to censor speech.”
YouTube responds to the allegations
In response to the subpoena, Google spokesperson Jose Castañeda defended the company’s approach to content moderation. “We’ll continue to show the committee how we enforce our policies independently, rooted in our commitment to free expression,” he said.
This latest action by Jordan underscores the broader conservative movement’s focus on challenging Big Tech over claims of political bias and censorship. As the House Judiciary Committee intensifies its scrutiny, Alphabet will likely face increasing pressure to disclose its content moderation practices and potential ties to government requests. Whether this investigation leads to policy changes similar to those at Meta remains to be seen.
