Point: It’s time to rein in Big Tech’s power

Americans across the political spectrum realize that something must be done about Big Tech. This was abundantly clear in the aftermath of former Facebook employee Frances Haugen’s 60 Minutes interview and her testimony to Congress, as representatives of both parties criticized Facebook. While there is still a significant split as to exactly what the problem is—concentrated power suppressing free speech or a lack of censorship of disinformation—and how to address it, support for reform is growing with voters and their legislators. Yet, many remained opposed on principle to the notion of regulating tech companies. They shouldn’t be.

Large corporations in America are no longer just businesses. They are actually extensions of the governing class. Just consider all the corporate pressure brought on states that adopted pro-life legislation.

These businesses are increasingly appendages of the governing regime. How so? First, Big Tech made it a priority to play a role in denying a sitting president a second term. This shows both that they had the means, and in fact, intended to play a decisive role in an election. They actively manipulated information flow, most famously suppressing the reporting on Hunter Biden’s business entanglements in foreign countries as “disinformation.” According to the Media Research Center, 36 percent of Biden voters were unaware of the Bidens’ business ties with China, and, by one estimation, knowledge of these connections would have shifted 4.6 percent of Biden’s vote.

Second, consider the speed and aggressiveness of the Big Tech firms in the aftermath of Jan. 6. In a matter of days, Twitter removed the president off its platform while allowing the Taliban and other unsavory entities continued access. Apple and Google removed Parler from its app stores, and the company had to shut down altogether when Amazon Web Services would not host its platform. These separate companies acted in concert, not just colluding against a business competitor to Twitter, but in furtherance of taking the hardest line possible.

Third, Big Tech promotes the favored narratives of the regime and suppresses information that contradicts official policy. For instance, YouTube removed videos of Senate testimony with physicians on successful early COVID treatments with studies on their effectiveness in hand. And when the Big Tech firms didn’t go far enough, government officials made it clear that further censorship is required. As Jen Psaki put it, “We're flagging problematic posts for Facebook that spread disinformation.” Liberal journalist Glen Greenwald has described it this way: “They are just censoring as they are told, in obedience to rules handed down from on high. It is the corporate press and powerful Washington elites who are coercing Facebook and Google to censor in accordance with their wishes and ideology upon pain of punishment in the form of shame, stigma and even official legal and regulatory retaliation.”

Fourth, the recent imbroglio over Frances Haugen is itself proof both of the power of Big Tech and how it controls our society already. Notice that Haugen’s concern is that Facebook is not censoring enough. She says she decided to get active when Facebook turned off the “safety systems” imposed in the run-up to the election, which indicates that there were systems implemented that were strategically intended to impact the election. Instead of being used only on occasion, she desires for Big Tech to manipulate information routinely on behalf of the regime’s interests. It is only a matter of time before this sentiment is used to crush those who dissent from elite narratives on religious grounds.

As for how Big Tech should be reformed, there are many sound proposals. At the very least, these firms ought to be considered as common carriers, like telephone companies, or public accommodations, like hotels or restaurants. These businesses have certain duties and responsibilities to serve all in a non-discriminatory manner. One step forward would be to repeal and replace Big Tech’s broad immunity under an exception to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

It's time to rein in the ever-growing power of Big Tech. Otherwise, those huge companies will continue to censor and exclude speech they find unacceptable. We must push for our elected political leaders to act now, before it is too late.