Tulsi Gabbard Takes On The Big Tech’s ‘Dangerous Dominance’, Sues Google For $50 Million, Alleges Censorship 

Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard , a contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, has filed a lawsuit against Google, alleging that the tech behemoth harmed her bid for the presidency and censored her campaign’s advertising account, the New York Times reported.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Los Angeles on Thursday (25 July), has claimed that Google unlawfully censored Gabbard’s campaign by temporarily suspending its advertising account on 27 and 28 June, potentially depriving it of donation dollars during the days following the first Democratic primary debate.

Following her impressive debate performance on 26 June, Gabbard surged as the most searched presidential candidate online. Even as Gabbard was trending on Google, the search giant ‘arbitrarily’ suspended her Google ads account for six hours.

“Interest and searches for Gabbard during the post-debate timeframe had skyrocketed,” the complaint filed in federal court reads. “Ads directing searchers to her campaign page would have brought Tulsi Gabbard’s unique message to millions of Americans — and would have undoubtedly increased the campaign donations Gabbard received.”

“Google’s arbitrary and capricious treatment of Gabbard’s campaign should raise concerns for policymakers everywhere about the company’s ability to use its dominance to impact political discourse, in a way that interferes with the upcoming 2020 presidential election,” the lawsuit said.

“Since at least June 2019, Google has used its control over online political speech to silence Tulsi Gabbard, a candidate millions of Americans want to hear from,” the complaint read.

“With this lawsuit, Tulsi seeks to stop Google from further intermeddling in the 2020 United States presidential election.” the complaint added.

Gabbard’s campaign team is seeking an injunction to prevent Google from suspending its advertising account again as well as $50 million in damages.

A statement released by Gabbard accused Google of discriminatory actions against her campaign and pointed to the dangers of increasing dominance of big tech companies.

“Google’s discriminatory actions against my campaign are reflective of how dangerous their complete dominance over internet search is, and how the increasing dominance of big tech companies over our public discourse threatens our core American values. This is a threat to free speech, fair elections and to our democracy, and I intend to fight back on behalf of all Americans.” Gabbard’s statement said.

The New York Times report quoted a Google spokesperson as saying that Gabbard’s advertising account may have been flagged by the firm’s automated algorithm for unusual activity.

“In this case, our system triggered a suspension and the account was reinstated shortly thereafter,” Google spokesman Jose Castaneda said. “We are proud to offer ad products that help campaigns connect directly with voters, and we do so without bias toward any party or political ideology.”

Gabbard, who has gained bipartisan support for her anti-war messaging, as often accused the political establishment and mainstream media smearing her campaign.

An Army National Guard Veteran who has served in overseas military missions, Gabbard is the first first Hindu member of US Congress.

The lawsuit filed by Tulsi’s campaign organisation is sure to further incrase the scrutiny over the allegations that Google often indulges in ‘ideological censorship’.