Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee are considering holding Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in contempt for failing to comply with a subpoena. The committee had demanded that Meta produce documents and communications related to content moderation discussions it had with executive branch officials. However, members of the committee claim that Meta has been uncooperative and is withholding important documents.
According to a report from Punchbowl News, the potential contempt vote is scheduled to take place on Thursday. If the vote passes, it would indicate that the committee believes Zuckerberg is in violation of their subpoena. This move comes as part of the committee’s broader investigation into the alleged coordination between the White House and tech companies to censor content following the 2020 election. Similar subpoenas were sent to Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft in February.
In response to the possible contempt vote, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone referred to a statement the company provided to Fox Business. The statement claims that Meta has already shared over 50,000 pages of documents and made nearly a dozen current and former employees available to discuss external and internal issues related to the committee’s inquiry. However, Republicans feel that Meta has not fully cooperated and has critical information that it has not turned over to the committee regarding efforts by the federal government to censor speech online.
Democrats, on the other hand, argue that there is no law preventing tech companies from collaborating with the government to identify and remove harmful content. They believe that such collaboration is necessary, particularly in cases involving the spread of misinformation about the 2020 presidential election or COVID-19.
Interestingly, the Judiciary Committee’s investigation did not include Twitter, as it chose to support its new owner, Elon Musk. Musk has raised accusations of political persecution against Twitter through a series of reports known as the “Twitter Files.” These reports allegedly reveal internal company documents that describe moderation decisions related to Hunter Biden’s laptop, “shadowbanning,” and the suspension of former President Donald Trump in 2021.
While the committee’s efforts have so far been largely symbolic in nature, a recent preliminary injunction issued by a federal judge has banned Biden administration officials from making moderation requests of platforms. This injunction may have an impact on the committee’s ongoing investigation.
Last week, the committee further escalated its fight with Meta by sending a letter to Zuckerberg expressing concerns regarding the company’s new Threads platform. The committee suggested that Threads was being marketed as a rival to Musk’s Twitter and raised specific concerns about potential political persecution faced by Musk’s Twitter account.
It is worth noting that the letter by the committee appears to be addressing an ongoing investigation by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) into Musk’s acquisition of Twitter. The committee recently held a hearing with FTC Chair Lina Khan, primarily focused on the probe and document requests related to Twitter’s privacy and security practices.
The committee’s decision to consider holding Zuckerberg in contempt is a significant step. In recent years, Congress has rarely taken such action, although Trump White House advisers, like Mark Meadows, have faced contempt votes. However, the Justice Department has typically declined to prosecute these cases. Consequently, it remains unclear whether the Justice Department would act on the committee’s contempt vote against Zuckerberg.
Overall, the potential contempt vote against Zuckerberg showcases the ongoing power struggle between tech giants and lawmakers. It also highlights the concerns surrounding content moderation and the role of big tech companies in shaping online discourse.
