Sen. Lindsey Graham called on Congress to more vigorously crack down on social media giants like Facebook and Twitter by considering a requirement they be licensed to operate.
The South Carolina Republican said he’s working with Sens. Josh Hawley, Missouri Republican, and Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts Democrat, to create a commission or regulatory agency that would “protect consumers in a variety of ways.”
One way could be to require licenses that could be revoked if it’s deemed that Big Tech companies censor too much content or are failing to stop criminal activity or foreign interference.
“We regulate the sale of stocks. We regulate the sale of real estate, you have to get a license to be a real estate agent. You got to get a license to drive a car,” Mr. Graham said.
Social media companies, particularly Twitter and Facebook, have been under intense scrutiny in Washington for censoring political speech, creating what experts and lawmakers have described as national security threats, and faced allegations they’ve run afoul of antitrust laws.
Twitter whistleblower Peiter “Mudge” Zatko testified Tuesday to a Senate panel about the company’s vulnerability to foreign agents and how he was fired after he said his warnings fell on executives’ deaf ears.
Mr. Graham said he believes the Federal Trade Commission, which oversees such companies, is ill-equipped to regulate the industry.
• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.
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