Meta and X have already bowed to Trump. The time has come for Google to bury his neck
The chairman of the Ted Cruz trade in Texas and the chairman of the Jim Jordan Chamber from Ohio is responsible for exerting pressure on Google and Alphabet. Last month, Jordan sent a call to the court to Alphabet regarding internal discussions and communication with the Biden administration on the subject of content moderation. Cruz said that Google “absolutely” is his main goal among technological platforms and promised interrogation, and perhaps even legislation, although he did not specify what kind of regulations he could develop.
Cruz met last month with the General Director of Google the job of Pichai to convey to him a warning: Change Google rules regarding the content or expect his anger. During an hourly meeting, which was not previously reported, Cruz said that “clearly and unequivocally” told the president of the technological giant that his committee would press Google about what he called the company's constant efforts in favor of preventing conservative content.
“Big Tech censorship was the most important topic,” said Cruz Politico. He admitted that he pressed the General Director of Google on “the policy that should be implemented” and claimed that Pichai “fully understood how it came from and what we expect in the field of protection of freedom of speech.”
Google spokesman refused to comment on the meeting of Cruz and Pichaia.
Republicans have long argued that the Big Tech platforms are biased towards themcomplaining that they calmed down reports from history such as Hunter Biden's laptop and blocked President Donald Trump in social media after the riots on January 6. But in the past they directed most of this anger towards Meta – which is the owner of Facebook and Instagram – and X previously known as Twitter.
It is changing now. Because the meta and X do fikołki to calm the Republicans – and Tiktok, another platform that attracted the anger of Congress, now seems to be on the good side of Trump – the knives are aimed at Google.
US Senator Ted Cruz at Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, USA, February 21, 2025.
“Freedom of speech” and “Censorship protection”
Cruz and Jordan – in particular – are at an early stage of the pressure campaign aimed at changing the Google content policy to be adapted to the changes introduced by its corporate rivals – in particular the last meta movements resulting in the completion of facts and stop “censorship” content that may contain disinformation.
Cruza spokesman did not answer the question about specific changes in the policy, to which the senator encourages Google.
In a statement, Google spokesman Jose Castaned said that Google is involved in freedom of speech and “is not a company dealing with social media”, such as meta and X. Unlike these enterprises, he said Google “never used checking facts as a factor in ranking algorithms or to reduce the ranking or degrading content.”
Cruz and Jordan present their campaign against Google as an attempt to secure “freedom of speech” and protection against “censorship”.
Google, unlike his main rivals, has not yet changed or significantly weakened the policy limiting disinformation or objectioning speech after winning Trump [w wyborach prezydenckich].
Google policy regarding content and advertising periodically attracted the anger of Cruz, Jordan and other conservative legislators. But the last large concession to GOP [ang. Wielkiej Starej Partii — inna nazwa Republikanów] It took place in June 2023, when YouTube, a video service belonging to Google, withdrew the ban on publishing films falsely claiming that the presidential election in 2020 was stolen.
YouTube has over 250 million active users per month in the United States – much more than Tiktok. Conservatives say that Google's policy regarding content has a huge impact on how Americans perceive politics.
“Stopping censorship on the Internet is the main priority of the Trade Commission,” Cruz said in response to the question about his plans for Google. – And we intend to use every point of pressure we have to protect freedom of speech on the Internet.
A member of the Chamber of US representatives Jim Jordan at Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, USA, February 21, 2025.
“They try to force Google Voluntary Concessions”
Congress pressure is already a known problem for the Silicon Valley. Adam Kovacevich, head of the technological lobbying group of Chamber of Progress and former Google lobbyist, called the intensified campaign against the company “The latest chapter in the long saga of” Washington “working on content moderation”.
While Pichai also tried to gain the favor of the White House, appearing next to other general directors in the capitol rotunda during the inauguration of Trump, to which Google donated $ 1 million. [3 mln 776 tys. zł]he did not introduce such extensive, Trump -friendly changes in politics, such as Meta or X.
Jordan said in an interview that you want YouTube to offer changes similar to those that Republicans observed on both social platforms.
These companies closed, among others, their facts checking programs and lifted earlier restrictions on the content perceived as beneficial to conservatives. Asked for clarification, Jordan said Google should “let the first amendment be the first amendment” [chodzi o pierwszą poprawkę do Konstytucji Stanów Zjednoczonych, która zabrania ograniczania wolności słowa].
Some observers say that GOP legislators simply want the next Big Tech giant to bury their knees in front of the Republicans, and they are less interested in detailed changes in politics.
– said Nu Wexler, a consultant and former communication employee for leading technology companies, including Google.
Google denies that his policy would harm conservatives. “Our commitment to freedom of speech has helped conservative voices, subcastents and creators to achieve amazing reach and success on our platforms,” said Castaneda, pointing to a rapid increase in popularity on YouTube Fox News, Daily Wire and other right -wing channels.
One of the lobbyists of Big Techu anonymously admitted that Jordan and his employees believe that in comparison with the finish, Google was less willing to cooperate in providing documents about “what Biden's administration did to force Big Tech to do different things.”
Another technological lobbyist, also anonymously revealed that, according to Jordan, the changes in the Ve -publican policy at Mark Zuckerberg's company were largely driven by constant pressure on the part of the judicial committee of the Chamber of Representatives. After the takeover of the committee in 2023, Jordan spent most of his term of office – and hitting – the finish for her alleged bias.
“Apparently, the commission has a textbook that has worked and I would not be shocked if some of the actions based on it went forward in the case of its next most likely goal,” said the lobbyist.
The general director of Meta Mark Zuckerberg (Ś) during the inauguration of Donald Trump, Washington, USA, January 20, 2025.
Will Google bend under pressure?
It is not known if Google will bend under this pressure. In the past, Pichai and other Google directors faced public “grilling” by legislators and left them relatively unscathed. Court calls may disclose new information, but it is unlikely that they themselves force more changes. And although Cruz said that he would consider the provisions regarding Google's alleged bias, earlier legislative efforts aimed at forcing the platforms to change the course has fallen.
“Cruz and Jordan have few legislative options, because the first amendment protects the moderation of content on platforms,” said Wexler. Although the Republicans “could cut themselves off from section 230” – the laws that protect platforms such as Google against court proceedings caused by the content created by users – Wexler said that such a change would “hurt [należącej do Donalda Trumpa platformie] Truth Social and X more than [zaszkodziłaby firmie] Google “.
While the leading Republicans sharpen their knives, Trump himself seems to show sympathy for the technological giant. “I love Google,” said the president during the meeting of the office last week. “He didn't like me so much during the first term, but now he likes me a lot,” Trump said.
Even if Google railways to take it into turn [faktycznie] It will come, Kovacevich says that the company is well prepared to survive everything that its Republicans from Congress will prepare.
“All companies are very accustomed to lobbying in the field of content regarding content, just like they are lobbying in the government,” said Kovacevich. – It's just the specificity of their current work in Washington … I think all companies have developed skills to deal with this kind of demands.
