Calif., Neb., Wash. and Wis. Among 24 Interested in DOJ Tech Meeting
Attorneys general of California, Nebraska, Washington and Wisconsin are among the 24 officials U.S. AG Jeff Sessions invited to a Sept. 25 discussion on social media (see 1809110041). Offices for Nebraska’s Doug Peterson (R), Washington’s Bob Ferguson (D) and Wisconsin’s Brad Schimel (R) told us Friday they were invited. Ferguson and Schimel are reviewing scheduling obligations to see if they can attend. We checked with all states' chief law enforcers.
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California's Xavier Becerra became the first Democrat to confirm participation Thursday. Republican AGs from Texas and Louisiana plan to participate in the discussion, which was announced after President Donald Trump accused Google and Silicon Valley of anti-conservative bias. Arizona AG Mark Brnovich (R) reportedly is investigating Google for potential violations against state consumer fraud law.
A DOJ spokesman said Friday the agency sent formal invitations Thursday to a “bipartisan group” of 24 state AGs who “expressed an interest in attending the meeting.” Democrats from New York and Massachusetts previously said they aren't interested in participating. North Dakota’s Wayne Stenehjem (R), who previously cited a scheduling conflict, won't attend, either. While Arkansas’ Leslie Rutledge (R) initially expressed interest in joining a dialogue “to protect the constitutional rights of Americans,” a spokesperson said Friday she has another commitment on Sept. 25.
The DOJ spokesman said the department received an “increased level of interest” from state AGs following the first announcement about the meeting, which will take place at Justice. Officials will discuss “tech companies, competition and free exchange of ideas,” he said. “We look forward to having a robust dialogue with all attendees on the topic of social media platforms.”
Becerra’s office said he asked Justice to ensure “states with interests involving the future and oversight of social media platforms” are included in the discussion. He said California, home to a $385 billion tech industry, looks forward to a “thoughtful conversation” in Washington. States like California have “a wealth of insight and expertise to share in any inquiry about the role of technology companies,” Becerra added.
Offices for 10 AGs told us they weren't invited as of Friday. That included: Colorado (R), Connecticut (D), Delaware (D), Hawaii (D), Iowa (D), New Hampshire (R), Ohio (R), Oklahoma (R), Oregon (D) and Rhode Island (D).
Arizona’s probe reportedly stems from allegations of improperly tracking Android user location data. In a redacted document seeking outside counsel from Washington, D.C.-based law firm Cooper & Kirk, the state cites an investigation of consumer location data storage, tracking of consumer location and other consumer tracking, “even when consumers turn off ‘location services’ and take other steps to stop such tracking.” A Brnovich spokeswoman wouldn't confirm the identity of the company or companies in question but said the office moved forward with the probe after several troubling news reports about “Google’s alleged tracking of consumer movements even if consumers attempt to opt out of such services.” Consumer data privacy and cybersecurity remain a priority for the AG, she said. Google didn’t comment.