FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr has taken aim at four major Big Tech companies for their alleged involvement in a "censorship cartel" that targeted Americans for promoting narratives that did not align with the companies' views. In letters to Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft, and Apple, Carr requested information related to NewsGuard, a left-wing organization that has been accused of censoring conservative voices online.
Carr stated that Americans have experienced an unprecedented surge in censorship in recent years, with Big Tech companies playing significant roles in silencing individuals exercising their First Amendment rights. He claimed that these companies collaborated with "media monitors" to censor speech on topics such as politics, science, and religion, working to defund and demonetize news outlets that deviated from approved narratives.
According to Carr, congressional investigations and news reports have revealed that the companies operated in coordination with the Biden-Harris administration to suppress certain viewpoints. He called for the dismantling of this "censorship cartel," emphasizing the importance of Americans reclaiming their right to free speech for the sake of democracy.
Carr also raised concerns about NewsGuard's role in the censorship efforts, noting that the organization has been accused of unfairly rating news outlets and promoting one-sided narratives. He highlighted NewsGuard's advisory board members' ties to questionable actions, such as promoting false claims of Russian disinformation and favoring Communist Party propaganda over American publications.
In response to these concerns, Carr gave the companies a deadline of December 10 to provide information to the FCC regarding their use of NewsGuard in their products and services. He called on Facebook, Google, Apple, Microsoft, and others to address their involvement in the censorship cartel, denouncing the Orwellian nature of the situation and advocating for a more open and free exchange of ideas online.