I can’t believe I’m even writing this in words, but five days ago was the first breach of the Capitol since the British set fire to it in 1814. We’ve heard a lot of calls for unity going forward, which I fully support. But reconciliation and unity must follow truth and accountability.
We have to get to the bottom of why thousands of Donald Trump’s supporters were so riled up that they would want to block the certification of our free and fair elections. We have to understand how a large mob was able to plan this violent attack, and how they were allowed to seemingly waltz into the Capitol.
I have spent this week calling on tech companies to do their part in fixing this. Apple, Google, Amazon and others have an important role to play in stopping the incitement of violence online before these tragedies can even happen. Many of these platforms have allowed dangerous conspiracy theories to flourish. Some apps like Parler, a popular right-wing social network, helped extremists organize and plan this riot.
After we publicly called for it, and thousands of activists joined me online, Amazon booted Parler off of their web hosting. Apple and Google have also kicked Parler off the App Store and Play Store.
But there is more work to be done in pushing Big Tech to help us stop dangerous conspiracy theories and radicalization online. As the Congressman from Silicon Valley, I intend to play an active role in this work, and I’d love for you to support me in that work.
This was a scary week for many of my colleagues, and a scary week for our democracy. But I believe we can learn from this horrific tragedy and we can save lives in the future if we take smart legislative action to curb this kind of extremism.
I intend to lead that fight, and I am proud to have so many incredible activists like you fighting alongside me.
Thank you for your continued support,
Ro Khanna