A Democrat in the Senate has introduced a bill that would create an entirely new federal agency tasked with monitoring and even regulating online speech, prompting some to refer to the bill as an attempt to revive a so-called ‘Ministry of Truth’ proposed by the Department of Homeland Security last year.

The Digital Platform Commission Act, proposed by Colorado Senator Michael Bennet, would “establish a federal body with the authority to provide comprehensive, sector-specific regulation of digital platforms to protect consumers, promote competition, and protect the public interest,” according to the bill’s description.

“The new Federal Digital Platform Commission would have the mandate, jurisdiction, and broad set of tools to develop and enforce thoughtful guardrails for a sector that has been left for too long to write its own rules, with serious consequences for everything from teen mental health to disinformation to anti-competitve practices that have hurt small businesses,” a statement from Bennet’s office claimed.

“It’s past time for a thoughtful and comprehensive approach to regulating digital platforms that have amassed extraordinary power over our economy, society, and democracy,” the statement continued. “We should follow the long precedent in American history of empowering an expert body to protect the public interest through common sense rules and oversight for complex and powerful sectors of the economy.”

It was not specified what “common sense rules” consisted of.

Five commissioners would be appointed by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve on the new Federal Digital Platform Commission. It would be staffed by professionals with backgrounds in computer science, software development, and technology policy, among others. The Commission would have a broad mandate to promote the public interest, including specific directives to protect consumers, promote competition, and ensure the impartiality and safety of algorithms on digital platforms, among other areas, according to the statement.

“The Commission would have the authority to promulgate rules, impose civil penalties, hold hearings, conduct investigations, and support research,” the statement continued. “It could also designate’systemically important digital platforms’ as entities subject to additional oversight, regulation, and merger review.”

“As a nation, we should be proud that the majority of the world’s foremost technology companies were founded in the United States. But they are no longer startups. Currently, they are one of the most influential corporations in human history. Bennet stated that it is time for a thoughtful and comprehensive approach to the regulation of digital platforms that have accumulated extraordinary power over our economy, society, and democracy.

“We do not have to choose between allowing digital platforms to write their own rules, permitting competitors like China and the E.U. to write these rules, or leaving it up to Congress. “We should follow the longstanding precedent in American history of empowering an expert body to safeguard the public interest through commonsense rules and oversight of complex and powerful economic sectors,” he added.

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced the founding of the Disinformation Governance Board in April 2022, stating that it would “coordinate the countering of misinformation related to homeland security, with a particular focus on irregular migration and Russia.”

As the Washington Examiner reported at the time, DHS appointed Nina Jankowicz as executive director of the disinformation board, despite the fact that she “has a history of sharing misleading claims about Christopher Steele’s discredited dossier and downplaying the controversy embroiling President Joe Biden’s son.”

More on this story via Conservative Brief:

DHS and the Biden administration were immediately attacked for attempting to create what critics called a “Ministry of Truth” that would decide what was and was not ‘misinformation.’ CONTINUE READING…