Attorney General Sessions to Meet State AGs on Conservative Speech Suppression and Antitrust; Senate Commerce Hearing on Internet Privacy

meetings planned for Washington this week could provide a glimpse of what steps policy makers and regulators could take to rein in the tech giants.","type":"text"}],"identifier":"_anf-container- 2","layout":"ComponentLayout-1","role":"container","type":"container"},{"identifier":"_anf- medium_rectangle_advertisement- 2","layout":"mediumAdvertisementLayout","role":"medium_rectangle_advertisement","type":"medium_rec tangle_advertisement"},{"components":[{"identifier":"_anf-body- 19","layout":"bodyLayout","role":"body","text":"On Tuesday, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is expected to meet with state attorneys general to discuss alleged stifling of conservative speech online, as well as possible antitrust concerns over Google as well as Facebook and others. On Wednesday, the Senate Commerce Committee holds a hearing focused on internet privacy concerns, amid growing bipartisan calls for legislation to govern online data collection and use.","type":"text"},{"identifier":"_anf- body-20","layout":"bodyLayout","role":"body","text":"Tech firms also are facing a new documentary by a prominent conservative author, Peter Schweizer. The film, entitled “The Creepy Line,” raises allegations that tech firms hold too much power and suppress conservative views.","type":"text"},{"identifier":"_anf- body-21","layout":"bodyLayout","role":"body","text":"Conservatives’ current focus on big tech clearly has a potential political upside. A majority of Republicans—64%—say major tech companies support the views of liberals over conservatives, according to a recent Pew Research Center poll.","type":"text"}, {"identifier":"_anf-body-22","layout":"bodyLayout","role":"body","text":"Allegations of anticonservative bias also could help divert attention from Russian meddling in the 2016 election that appeared to use tech platforms such as Facebook to manipulate public opinion and support Mr. Trump.","type":"text"},{"identifier":"_anf-body-23","layout":"bodyLayout","role":"body”","text":"But the current antitech atmosphere goes beyond political maneuvering. As concerns grow among lawmakers and regulators, the debate appears to be expanding from politics to policy, and prospects for new regulation are increasing, no matter who wins the midterm election and control of the House and Senate.","type":"text"},{"identifier":"_anf-body-24","layout":"bodyLayout","role":"body","text":"That reality came home in a letter that a bipartisan group of senators wrote last week to the Trump administration, urging legislation to impose a new “enforceable nationwide standard” for collection and use of online data. The letter was written by the top Republicans and Democrats on two Senate Commerce subcommittees, Sens. Jerry Moran (R., Kan.), Roger Wicker (R., Miss.), Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.) and Brian Schatz (D., Hawaii). The administration also could release its own set of principles for online privacy this week. They could further fuel talk of broad online privacy legislation—something the tech companies have successfully avoided for years.","type":"text"}, {"additions":[{"range":{"length":21 ,"start":29},"to":"john.mckinnon@wsj.com","type":"e mail"},{"range":{"length":25 "start": 76},"to":"douglas.macmillan@wsj.com","type":"email"}],"identifier":"_an f-body-25","inlineTextStyles":[{"range":{"length":8,"start":0},"textStyle":"_anf-ts- 1"}],"layout":"bodyLayout","role":"body","text":"Write to John D. McKinnon at john.mckinnon@wsj.com and Douglas MacMillan at douglas.macmillan@wsj.com","type":"text"}],"identifier":"_anf-container- 3","layout":"ComponentLayout-1","role":"container","type":"container"},{"identifier":"_anf- medium_rectangle_advertisement- 3","layout":"mediumAdvertisementLayout","role":"medium_rectangle_advertisement","type":"medium_rec tangle_advertisement"}],"documentStyle":{"backgroundColor":"#F- FFFFF"},"identifier":"SB104191378255 18224857904584492171772703860","language":"en","layout":{"columns":11,"gutter":15,"margin":64,"widt h":1024},"metadata":{"canonicalURL":"https://www.wsj.com/articles/google-ceo-sundar-pichai-to-meet- with-top-gop-lawmakers- 1537829900","generatorName":"Appleseed","generatorVersion":"1.0","thumbnaillmageldentifier":"c2ce91 94131e3a1e38ca2d506fa1 fad3","transparentToolbar":false},"resources":{"01f4729b-445a-444d-8cd5- fc92499c093a":{"URL":"asset://01f4729b-445a-444d-8cd5- fc92499c093a","classification":"font","fileSize":0,"fontAttributes":{"familyName":"Exchange","style":"norm al","weight":700,"width":"normal"},"fontName":"ExchangeBold","identifier":"01f4729b-445a-444d-8cd5- fc92499c093a","type":"font"},"365d3b57-9c 79-4 2fc-8327-10fb4ce2c3f5":{"URL":"asset://365d3b57-9c79- 42fc-8327- 10fb4ce2c3f5","classification":"image","dimensions":{"height":200,"width":300},"fileSize":0,"identifier":"36 5d3b57-9c79-42fc-8327- 10fb4ce2c3f5","imageldentifier":"c2ce9194131e3a1e38ca2d506fa1 fad3","type":"image"},"412eb2f9-b806- 4143-9280-df2862cec155":{"URL":"asset://41 2eb2f9-b806-4143-9280- df2862cec155","classification":"font" ,"fileSize":0,"fontAttributes":{"familyName":"Exchange","style":"norm HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_028410