The House Judiciary Committee has released an interim staff report titled "Exporting Censorship: How GARM's Advertising Cartel Helped Corporations Collude with Foreign Governments to Silence American Speech." The report details the Global Alliance for Responsible Media's (GARM) efforts to control online content and censor speech, in coordination with foreign governments.
According to the investigation, Robert Rakowitz, GARM's Initiative Lead and co-founder, allegedly prioritized silencing President Trump, comparing his rhetoric to a "contagion" that needed containment. Documents provided to the Committee indicate that GARM worked with advertisers and foreign regulators to pressure Twitter into compliance with its demands. Additionally, it distributed nonpublic information about Twitter to member companies, leading to boycotts.
The report also claims that GARM prepared statements urging members to boycott Twitter and pressured social media platforms to remove content despite knowing these actions were not favored by American consumers. The collusion reportedly harmed both consumers and GARM members who believed brand safety measures were essential for promoting business objectives.
GARM is accused of undermining Americans' access to relevant advertisements and online content under the guise of brand safety. This allegedly replaced consumer preferences with those of an ideologically driven cartel.
The Committee intends to continue overseeing U.S. antitrust laws' adequacy and sufficiency while evaluating potential legislative reforms. It aims to investigate entities infringing on civil liberties and free market access for American consumers.
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