U.S. Senator Katie Britt, Chairman Cruz, Colleagues Fight Big Tech Censorship

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) joined Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and several of their Senate Republican colleagues in introducing the Transparency in Enforcement, Restricting, and Monitoring of Services (TERMS) Act.

This legislation cracks down on Big Tech companies that weaponize their broadly worded terms of service agreements to target individuals for their political beliefs and engage in censorship.

“Big Tech has a long and troubling track record of censoring users they disagree with politically—namely, conservatives,” said Senator Britt. “This online censorship is one of the greatest threats to free speech in the modern era. For far too long, companies have used broad language in their service agreements as cover—our TERMS Act would put an end to that practice. I’m proud to stand with Chairman Cruz and my Senate colleagues as a co-sponsor.”

The TERMS Act would require the public disclosure of well-defined acceptable use policies and advance written notice when these policies change. Additionally, the bill would require advance written notice of termination or cancellation that explains how the user violated the acceptable use policy. It also mandates publicly posted annual reports detailing actions taken to enforce the acceptable use policy.

“Big Tech censorship poses a serious threat to free speech in the U.S. and my Committee has previously uncovered evidence of these platforms using vague terms of service agreements to silence conservative voices,” said Senator Cruz. “These discriminatory policies have cost businesses thousands of dollars in lost revenue and forced conservatives to choose between self-censorship or ceasing operations altogether. The TERMS Act will make online service providers be upfront and transparent about their political biases so customers can make more informed decisions about where they do business.”

The TERMS Act is co-sponsored by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.).

This legislation has received support from groups like the Independent Women’s Forum, Family Policy Alliance, American Principles Project, The Danbury Institute, Bull Moose Project, National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), and Parents Defending Education Action. The bill text can be viewed here.

Senator Britt has a strong legislative track record of cracking down on Big Tech, particularly when it comes to protecting children on social media. She recently introduced the Kids Off Social Media Act and the Stop the Scroll Act.

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