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Republicans Want Parler CEO To Testify With Silicon Valley Giants

By  |  July 9, 2020
Silicon Valley

Two House Republicans have asked the head of an upstart social media network to weigh in on the House Judiciary Committee’s bipartisan antitrust investigation into tech giants, reported Politico. Reps. Jim Jordan (Republican – Ohio) and James Sensenbrenner (Republican – Wisconsin) sent a letter on Wednesday afternoon, July 8, to John Matze, the CEO of Parler, asking him to weigh in on “the state of competition in social media.”

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    “Parler differentiates itself on the quality and features of its platform, namely, its commitment to not ‘censor or editorialize, share or sell user data,’” the lawmakers wrote. “This commitment positions Parler in stark contrast to Twitter, which has made increasingly clear in recent weeks and months that only users who refrain from expressing certain unfavored political beliefs are welcome to fully participate on its platform. In turn, Parler’s commitment to free expression takes the place of price as an incentive driving consumer behavior.”

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    On the same day, the two representatives sent a letter to Twitter’s CEO asking for a host of materials, including explanations of all moderating decisions made in the US over the last year. They also asked for all of Twitter’s internal communications about the decision to fact-check one of President Donald Trump’s tweets and apply a warning to another.

    Conservatives have long argued that Twitter unfairly censors people on the right, a contention the company vehemently disputes. The network has banned a variety of far-right personalities for violating its terms of service, which has generated great disgruntlement in some circles. 

    Parler bills itself as something of a free speech alternative to Twitter, and a number of prominent conservatives, including Rep. Devin Nunes and Sen. Ted Cruz, have opened profiles on the site and promoted it to their Twitter followers.

    “I will be on PARLER celebrating Independence Day with the rest of the patriots!” Nunes tweeted jubilantly on Independence Day.

    Full Content: Politico

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