Five Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives have banded together to launch the Freedom From Big Tech Caucus, to fight back against Silicon Valley censorship, defend privacy, and protect children against online crimes and exploitation.
The caucus was announced on Thursday by Colorado’s Rep. Ken Buck, who is being joined by Reps. Lance Gooden, Madison Cawthorn, Burgess Owens and Paul Gosar.
Buck, who is already the ranking member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law, will be joined by Gooden as his co-chair.
Cawthorn, who is currently the youngest member serving in the House and a rising star in the Republican party, is taking the position of vice-chair, according to BizPac Review.
“I am excited to lead the Freedom from Big Tech Caucus with my colleagues, Lance Gooden, Burgess Owens, Madison Cawthorn, and Paul Gosar,” Buck said in a statement.
“Big Tech has abused its market power for decades, and Congress must act to hold these companies accountable and preserve the free market, promote competition and innovation, protect the freedom of speech, and foster a thriving digital economy,” he also said.
In a tweet sharing the statement, Buck noted that the caucus aims to pursue antitrust reforms and “protect children” in part.
🚨 I am excited to announce the launch of the Freedom From Big Tech Caucus with @LanceGooden, @RepBurgessOwens, @RepCawthorn, and @RepGosar.
Our focus:
✅Antitrust reform
✅End censorship
✅Protect children
✅Crack down on China
✅Support competition
✅Strengthen privacy rights pic.twitter.com/RYZcu8SCWW— Rep. Ken Buck (@RepKenBuck) July 16, 2021
As we have previously covered, Big Tech outlets have received backlash in recent years for the role their networks play in facilitating child sexual exploitation and human trafficking.
Other goals shared by the novel caucus are to “counter Big Tech’s courtship of the Chinese Communist Party,” “protect privacy and data rights,” and to “protect children from harmful content online.”
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