TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has issued civil investigative demands (CIDs) to five Big Tech companies.
The companies include Google, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon Web Services and Apple.
In a press release, Paxton said the demands "[ask] the companies for their policies and practices regarding content moderation and, more specifically, for information related to Parler."
Parler is a social media alternative favored by right-wing conservatives that was booted by several Big Tech companies following the riot at the U.S. Capitol.
The attorney general also addressed the removal of President Donald Trump's accounts on several platforms, calling it "discriminatory action."
“First Amendment rights and transparency must be maintained for a free online community to operate and thrive. However, the seemingly coordinated de-platforming of the President of the United States and several leading voices not only chills free speech, it wholly silences those whose speech and political beliefs do not align with leaders of Big Tech companies. Every American should be concerned about this large-scale silencing and the effects it will have on the future of free speech,” said Attorney General Paxton. “The public deserves the truth about how these companies moderate and possibly eliminate speech they disagree with. I am hopeful that these companies will set aside partisan politics and cooperate with these CIDs in order to get to the bottom of this contention and ensure a truly free online community consistent with the highest American ideals.”
