Capito Joins Republican Colleagues to Introduce Political Bias Emails Act

Press Release

U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Technology Committee, today joined U.S. Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) and 25 of their Republican Senate colleagues to introduce the Political Bias in Algorithm Sorting (BIAS) Emails Act. This legislation would hold Big Tech platforms accountable for using biased algorithms that take control away from consumers and alter the way users are able to see emails from political campaigns. The legislation would also create more transparency for consumers by revealing the censoring practices Big Tech platforms, including Google, use to filter certain emails.

"It's concerning that reports indicate tech companies are utilizing algorithms that discriminate against candidates based on their political party affiliation," Senator Capito said. "As messaging becomes more reliant on platforms like email and social media, bias from Big Tech must be removed from obstructing the ability of the American public to receive information and be informed on candidates that represent them in any level of government. I'm proud to join Senator Thune and my Republican colleagues to offer a solution to this problem, and make Big Tech answer for this prejudice practice."

"I've long believed that Congress should hold Big Tech accountable to the users who rely on its platforms -- for everything from email to social media -- and empower those consumers to make their own online decisions, free from Big Tech's heavy hand," Senator Thune said. "I'm proud to lead this effort that would prohibit large online platforms from censoring emails through filtered algorithms -- a process that ultimately discriminates against political campaigns. Consumers should be able to choose what they want to see, not Google. It's long past time for Big Tech to be held accountable for its blatant bias, and this bill would be an important step in that direction."

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