Jan 25, 2021 - Technology

Scoop: Tech tells GOP no coordination on Trump ban

Margaret Harding McGill

Illustration of game pieces on a map in the shape of the Capitol Dome and binary code — Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Major tech platforms told the outgoing GOP chair of the Senate Commerce Committee that there was no coordination behind their decisions to ban former President Trump and severing ties with an app popular with conservatives, per letters obtained by Axios.

Why it matters: Big Tech is a top target of Republican ire as conservatives on Capitol Hill adjust to their new position in the minority.

Details: Twitter banned Trump based on its own analysis and with the involvement of senior executives including CEO Jack Dorsey, and "did not consult with any other platforms in making the decision," it said in a letter to Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.)

Google, in its own letter to Wicker, likewise said it did not coordinate with other platforms in suspending Trump's YouTube channel, while Facebook said it applies its own policies and makes independent decisions.

Meanwhile: Apple and Amazon told Wicker they did not coordinate in decisions to pull the plug on Parler.

Flashback: Wicker pressed the companies on their decision-making processes in letters earlier this month.

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Scoop: Tech tells GOP no coordination on Trump ban

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