House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has initiated an inquiry into alleged government-led internet censorship by requesting information and documentation from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), an organization dedicated to monitoring online hate speech and misinformation. In a letter sent on Thursday, Jordan notified the CCDH about the committee’s interest in the organization’s interactions with federal authorities and social media companies.
This move by Jordan follows a lawsuit filed by Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) against the CCDH, accusing the nonprofit of unauthorized data access during its research on the social media platform.
In the letter, Jordan expressed concerns about a potential “censorship regime” and its impact on Americans’ civil liberties and First Amendment rights. The House Judiciary GOP stated on X that the CCDH, among other organizations, had played a role in advising the government and social media platforms on content moderation and misinformation.
CCDH CEO Imran Ahmed characterized the letter as a “transparent fishing expedition” by the committee, suggesting it aims to impede the organization’s efforts to combat hate speech and harmful disinformation online.
Ahmed emphasized that CCDH has never received funding from the U.S. government or social media companies. However, Jordan and other Republicans argue that conservatives have faced restrictions on their free speech on social media platforms and allege collusion between the Biden administration and major tech companies.
The controversy encompasses various issues, including the Biden administration’s attempts to combat vaccine misinformation during the pandemic.
Jordan’s request for documents and communications encompasses topics such as content moderation, deletion, suppression, restriction, demonetization, and the attribution of content to potentially malign or state-sponsored influence operations. Additionally, Jordan seeks a list of CCDH personnel who have communicated with the executive branch or technology companies on these matters since 2015, as well as information on grants, contracts, or funds received from the U.S. government.
The CCDH has until August 17 at 5 p.m. to provide the requested documents.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
