Thread by @matthewstoller

Ok the House Judiciary committee is marking up the antitrust big tech report.

Now @RepAndyBiggsAZ tries to attach an amendment on reforming Section 230 to the big tech report because of attacks on conservatives.

Ugh. Section 230 is handled in a *different committee.*

This committee handles *breaking up big tech.*

There is clearly anti-conservative bias, but it is complex. They kicked Donald Trump off of Twitter, Facebook, etc, and stripped Parler of cloud services. Breaking up big tech will help that. There is no reason for either side to fight over this.

Now Silicon Valley Dem @RepZoeLofgren is making it clear that she doesn't agree with the big tech report.

The answer here is very simple. "Yes Section 230 is an issue, concentrated platforms raise censorship concerns, it's a different committee, let's do an investigation into content moderation policies."

Move on. Instead Eric Swalwell gets to preen. So embarrassing.

Now Darryl Issa is opposing the big tech report as a partisan staff job. This is the most important document Congress has produced on the topic, recommending systematically taking apart Apple, Amazon, Google, and Facebook.

Ugh.

And @RepKenBuck says that the investigation was bipartisan, but the report recommendations are solely Democratic. He has his Third Way milder recommendations.

This is fine so far. There is consensus on a bunch of solutions for big tech, but not every one of them. I wish people were looking for more consensus on the anti-conservative bias, since it's evident that concentrated platforms create reasonable censorship fears. But whatevs.

Why can't @Jim_Jordan just accept the report which calls for BREAKING UP BIG TECH?

Now Silicon Valley Dem @RepZoeLofgren is saying adopting the committee report is a "complete waste of time." She has disagreements. What a shocker.

If @Jim_Jordan and @DarrellIssa had wanted to insert new language into the report it would have been easy for them to do it by raising it earlier. They are just springing new annoying language now because they know it will spoil the process.

The Dems should accept something on concentrated power and censorship, it's a legit point. The Republicans should stop acting like this report is a partisan staff job and take it seriously.

The backstory is that the Judiciary Committee was run on the GOP side by @CollinsforGA, and he launched an investigation of big tech with Cicilline. In the middle of last session, Collins left the committee and @Jim_Jordan took over. Jordan was hostile and tried to sabotage it.

Now @RepChipRoy quotes Thomas Jefferson, "I hope we shall take warning from the example and crush in it's birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations which dare already to challenge our government."

The gist of the Republican position right now is “We believe big tech should be broken up. That’s why we are disagreeing with your report making the case for breaking up big tech.”

Report adopted 24-17, on a party line vote. So now the Judiciary Committee has adopted a report with critical findings on big tech, and a menu of recommendations. @Jim_Jordan successfully pulled the Rs away from breaking up big tech by framing it as a Democratic initiative.

And now the subcommittee report on big tech is Judiciary Committee report. Good.