Trump seeks gathering with Big Tech firms this months

President Donald Trump has called for a meeting this month at the White House with major US technology companies as well as some critics of Silicon Valley, economic advisor Larry Kudlow said Tuesday.

Kudlow told reporters the president wants to hold the session with "the big internet companies, the big social media companies, search companies, and some who are dissatisfied with those companies."

Kudlow said no date had been set but that he expects the session in mid-October.

Asked if Google, Facebook and Twitter would be included, the Trump aide said, "That is our hope."

The news comes after a series of claims by Trump and his allies that Big Tech firms were biased against conservatives and suppressing conservative voices.

Google, Twitter and Facebook have all denied using their platforms for political purposes and have noted that many conservatives including Trump have a strong presence on social media.

Following Trump's criticism, the US Justice Department said it would meet with state officials to discuss competition concerns and the "stifling (of) the free exchange of ideas."

The Justice Department offered no specifics but its statement suggested officials were considering an antitrust investigation or some form of regulatory action.

Trump last month said in a tweet that "Social Media Giants are silencing millions of people."

Days later, he wrote: "Google & others are suppressing voices of Conservatives and hiding information and news that is good. They are controlling what we can & cannot see. This is a very serious situation-will be addressed!"

Tech industry analysts say there is little evidence internet firms are filtering content for political reasons, but that the companies would have constitutional protections against any government effort to regulate their algorithms.

© 2018 AFP