Home
News
You are here

Trump reportedly set to investigate Google, Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites

44comments

By Alan Friedman

Published: Sep 22, 2018, 2:11 PM

Trump reportedly set to investigate Google, Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites

According to a report published today by Bloomberg, the White House has written up an Executive Order that calls for federal antitrust and law enforcement agencies to investigate several high profile tech companies including Alphabet division Google, Facebook, Twitter and other social media firms. All that is needed to make this happen is the signature of President Donald Trump. The Executive Order is in the preliminary stage and other government agencies have not yet taken a look at it.

Trump has had several feuds with the tech industry, falsely accusing Amazon of ripping off the U.S. Postal Service, tweeting that Apple needs to build U.S. based factories to prevent its products from getting taxed, and claiming that Twitter and other social media sites were preventing conservative voices from being heard. Just last month, the president said that Google rigged search engine results against him.

Bloomberg has seen the Executive Order and says that while it does not name any specific company, it requests that all federal antitrust agencies "thoroughly investigate whether any online platform has acted in violation of the antitrust laws." It adds that "Because of their critical role in American society, it is essential that American citizens are protected from anti-competitive acts by dominant online platforms." These platforms have admitted that while trying to clean up online bullying and harassment, some posts from both the left and the right were inadvertently removed. But these social media sites say that there is no political bias on their part.

"Social Media is totally discriminating against Republican/Conservative voices. Speaking loudly and clearly for the Trump Administration, we won’t let that happen. They are closing down the opinions of many people on the RIGHT, while at the same time doing nothing to others."-President Donald Trump

News of the possible Executive Order comes as Attorney General Jeff Sessions is scheduled to meet with state attorneys general on September 25th. The hearing is being held to discuss investigations of the tech industry handled by state law enforcement agencies.

source: Bloomberg

$349

$799

$450 off (56%)

Mint Mobile now sells the Google Pixel 10 with a massive $450 discount. The promo is available on select color variants with 128GB of storage. You also get a 12-month unlimited data plan for $180 instead of $360.

Buy at Mint Mobile

$524

$999

$475 off (48%)

Grab the pro-grade, compact Pixel 10 Pro at Mint Mobile with a 12-month unlimited plan, and you can save a huge $475. The data plan comes with a discount, too: 50% off, to be exact.

Buy at Mint Mobile

$499

$1199

$700 off (58%)

The high-end Gemini AI-enhanced Pixel 10 Pro XL is now available with a mind-blowing discount. You can now save $700 on the phone, plus 50% off unlimited 12-month plans.

Buy at Mint Mobile

$1399

$1799

$400 off (22%)

The foldable Pixel 10 Pro Fold is another standout holiday offer. Right now, you can get the device for $400 off at Mint Mobile. On top of that, you save $180 on 12-month unlimited data plans.

Buy at Mint Mobile

View Full Bio

Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.

Read the latest from Alan Friedman