FCC Commissioner Carr Says Big Tech Has Too Much Power To Determine What Information Is Seen
Brendan Carr said Big Tech can make critical decisions on who sees what on the internet.
May 26, 2021—Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr said Tuesday that he’s concerned about the power of big tech to being able to remove applications like controversial chat website Parler.
The app, which is used by supporters of former President Donald Trump but has fostered an environment of hate-speech, was removed from the Apple and Google app stores in light of the Capitol riot of January 6. The platforms gave the app time to deal with its policies on those matters.
Carr said at a virtual event hosted by The Heritage Foundation that when technology companies have the power to pick and choose what to remove, it creates inherent biases and promotes an echo chamber, where Americans only hear one side of matter. He said there must be a push to promote more diverse opinions.
He noted that the big technology companies often point to their algorithms when called to account for “inconsistent content moderation and account suspension.” Facebook, for example, has said it removes thousands of groups and accounts, which often promote violence, from its platform regularly.
Carr noted the example of a New York Post article written about Hunter Biden’s dealings with Ukraine, the merits of which were dismissed and the story allegedly suppressed by big tech platforms.
“Big tech companies have been given too much power,” Carr said.
