Tony Romm

President Donald Trump’s “social media summit” probably marks the beginning, not the end, of Silicon Valley’s political headaches, opening the door for the White House and its conservative allies to intensify their attacks on Facebook, Google and Twitter over allegations that they exhibit political bias. President Trump coupled his complaints about the tech industry with a promise to summon top tech executives to Washington in the coming weeks and a threat to unveil new regulations targeting the way social media sites moderate content.

President Donald Trump assailed Facebook, Google and Twitter for exhibiting “terrible bias” and silencing his supporters at a White House “social media summit” that critics chastised for giving a prominent stage to some of the internet’s most controversial, incendiary voices. For President Trump, the conference represented his highest profile broadside yet against Silicon Valley after months of accusations that tech giants censor conservative users and websites.

President Donald Trump has summoned Republican lawmakers, political strategists and social media stars to the White House on July 11  to discuss the “opportunities and challenges” of the Web — but his upcoming summit, critics say, could end up empowering online provocateurs who have adopted controversial political tactics entering the 2020 election campaign. The high-profile gathering follows months of attacks from President Trump claiming that Facebook, Google and Twitter — all services the president taps to talk to supporters — secretly censor right-leaning users, websites and other conte

Big Tech's political woes may only worsen after July 11, when the White House hosts a “social media summit” that could set the stage for even more scrutiny to come.

President Donald Trump said the US government “should be suing Google and Facebook and all that,” then wagered that “perhaps we will,” in a new broadside against Silicon Valley at a moment when it already faces heightened antitrust scrutiny in Washington.

Apparently, the Federal Trade Commission is in the late stages of an investigation into YouTube for allegedly violating children’s privacy, in a probe that threatens the company with a potential fine and already has prompted the tech giant to reevaluate some of its business practices. The FTC launched its investigation after numerous complaints from consumer groups and privacy advocates.

Democratic Reps plan a sweeping review of Facebook, Google and other technology giants to determine if they’ve become so large and powerful that they stifle competition and harm consumers, marking a new, unprecedented antitrust threat for an industry that’s increasingly under siege by Congress, the White House and 2020 presidential candidates.

Justice Department staff members who’ve have been reviewing the proposed merger of T-Mobile and Sprint had recommended that the US government sue to block the $26 billion deal, fearing the combination of the country’s third- and fourth-largest wireless carriers could threaten competition. The recommendation came before the two companies offered new concessions meant to appease regulators, including pledges to divest certain lines of business and cap prices for consumers. Despite the recommendation, a decision to bring such a case has not been made.

The White House announced an unprecedented campaign asking Internet users to share if they had been censored on Facebook, Google and Twitter, tapping into President Trump’s long-running claim that tech giants are biased against conservatives. The effort, which the White House said on Twitter was directed at users “no matter your views,” seeks to collect names, contact information and other details from Americans.

The White House will not sign an international call to combat online extremism brokered between French and New Zealand officials and top social media companies, amid US concerns that it clashes with constitutional protections for free speech. The decision comes as world leaders prepare to announce the so-called “Christchurch call to action” on May 15, an effort named after the New Zealand city where a shooter attacked two mosques in an attack inspired by online hate and broadcast on social media sites.