Part II of Shut Your App: How Uncle Sam Jawboned Big Tech Into Silencing Americans

Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation · October 29, 2025

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The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is addressing the importance of free speech and the dangers of censorship.

21:26 → 21:39(13s)

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a hearing to examine allegations that federal agencies pressured major technology platforms to remove or suppress content. Witnesses from Google and Meta defended their content-moderation independence; free-speech advocates and consumer advocates told senators that informal government pressure("jawboning") can amount to unconstitutional coercion and urged transparency and statutory remedies. Senators ranged widely in focus, pressing companies on pandemic-era moderation decisions, recent platform settlements, AI and deepfakes, youth safety, competition, and the economic health of local journalism.

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