Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) introduced the ELON Act to scrutinize technology-government collaboration on sensors.
Rep. Boebert issued a press release on February 9 announcing that he had introduced the Exposing Lies Outlaws, or ELON Act, for Social Networking Companies Act to audit Big Tech’s collusion with the government to censor Americans. The ELON Act also puts a one-year moratorium on FBI payments to tech companies.
“Big tech is in bed with the FBI and other agencies where Congress can’t tell where one ends and the other begins,” Boebert said in the release. “Millions of dollars sent to Twitter during the election cycle as we know it, while at the same time they were censoring Hunter Biden’s laptop from hell, is incredibly concerning.”
Bobert continued. “My bill, the ELON Act, requires a report from all agencies of federal dollars sent to large technology companies. My legislation also puts a one-year moratorium on tax dollars going to big tech companies,” he explained. “We must expose the illicit relationship between big tech and the federal government. My bill does just that.”
The press release cited the disclosure of Twitter files that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI worked directly with Big Tech to censor content, especially in 2020. The New York Post The story of the Hunter Biden laptop. A Media Research Center poll found that big tech censorship of the Hunter scandal helped steal the 2020 election for Joe Biden.
Boebert’s press release specifically condemned the FBI’s payment of more than $3.4 million to Twitter to cover “reimbursements” for “reasonable costs and expenses associated with their response to a legal proceeding.” But Twitter wasn’t the only platform to be paid this way, according to FBI officials.
The congresswoman quoted Elon Musk Tweeted That, “the government paid Twitter millions of dollars to censor people’s information.”
The press release explained that the ELON Act requires the US Comptroller General to submit a report of all DOJ payments made to Twitter, Google, Microsoft, Meta and Apple since January 1, 2015. The report will then be submitted to the House Judiciary, Oversight and Accountability, and Intelligence Committee and the Senate Judiciary, Commerce, and Intelligence Committee.
“American tax dollars should not be used to stifle the First Amendment,” the press release emphasized. “Congress must investigate when and why the FBI paid big tech platforms.”
Co-sponsors of the ELON Act are Rep. Matt Getz (FL-01), Rep. Ana Paulina Luna (FL-13), Rep. Paul Gosser (AZ-09), Byron Donalds (FL-19), Rep. Mary Miller (IL)-15 ), Reps. Eric Burlison (MO-07), Barry Moore (AL-02), Andrew Clyde (GA-09), and Rep. Troy Nehls (TX-22).
Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand that government agencies and Big Tech be held accountable for upholding the First Amendment while providing transparency and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us at the Media Research Center contact formAnd help us hold Big Tech accountable.