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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, led a hearing titled AI Regulation and the Future of US Leadership .  “Our task is to protect our citizens and ensure that we don’t cede U.S. AI leadership. Much of the AI marketplace is comprised of small start-ups looking to get a foothold in this revolutionary space,” said Chairman Bilirakis. “And heavy-handed regulations may ensure that the next great American company never makes it. If we fail in this task, we risk ceding American leadership in AI to China, which is close on our heels.”  Watch the full hearing here .   Below are key excerpts from today’s hearing: Congressman Russ Fulcher (ID-01): “In the face of Chinese progress in emerging technologies, I'm concerned about the US's ability to maintain its leadership position, if in fact we still have one – I’d like to get your opinion on that – in an AI race. Especially if we were to follow the European approach, which I don't see us doing, or allow a patchwork of AI rules to develop across the various states. So with that, if you could just share, are you confident? Are we still in the lead in AI? And can we continue to maintain the edge in AI technology over China on this path?” Mr. Bhargava: “Yes, I believe the US does still have a lead, but many of the Chinese models are 85 to 90% of the way there to where the cutting-edge US models are. So I'd say it's not a major lead, but we certainly do have a lead from a technology perspective of most of the evaluations of AI models done.” Congressman Jay Obernolte (CA-23): “As the Chairman of the House AI Task Force last year, and as someone who saw this group of 24 members of Congress from both sides all come together on this issue, it really hurts my heart that it's being painted as such a divisive, partisan issue because I don't think it is. You know, the assertions have been made that this was a last-minute thing and ‘in the dead of night.’ I think someone used the phrase ‘it was inserted,’ but I want to talk about the motivation here. It's been very alarming, as we have seen in the first 5 months of this year go by, the number of bills introduced on the topic of AI regulation in state legislatures across the country. Over 1,000 now have been introduced and this is what's lending urgency to this issue.” Congresswoman Laurel Lee (FL-15): “Artificial intelligence is not just the technology of the future. It is already transforming the way that we live, work, and govern, and it is reshaping nearly every sector of our economy. The question before us is not whether to act, it is how to act wisely. So as policy makers, we have two responsibilities. One is to protect the public from real risks, but second, to ensure that American innovation continues to lead the world. Those goals are not mutually exclusive. In fact, the right policy framework can achieve both, so I appreciate you all being here today to help us strike that balance.” ###

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Chairman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, announced a hearing titled AI Regulation and the Future of US Leadership . “Burdensome and conflicting AI legislation stifles innovation and undermines the success of entrepreneurs. Europe is seeing the effects of their heavy-handed regulations, as they continue to fall further behind on cutting-edge technologies,” said Chairmen Guthrie and Bilirakis. “We look forward to considering a pro-innovation agenda that encourages the development and deployment of AI at scale at home and supports U.S. AI leadership abroad.” Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade hearing titled AI Regulation and the Future of US Leadership WHAT: Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade hearing on ensuring a pro-innovation AI regulatory environment. DATE: Wednesday, May 21, 2025 TIME: 10:15 AM ET LOCATION: 2322 Rayburn House Office Building This notice is at the direction of the Chairmen. The hearing will be open to the public and press and will be live streamed online at energycommerce.house.gov . If you have any questions concerning the hearing, please contact Alex Khlopin with the Committee staff at Alex.Khlopin@mail.house.gov . If you have any press-related questions, please contact Daniel Kelly at Daniel.Kelly@mail.house.gov . ###

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, along with 10 members of the subcommittee, sent a letter to DeepSeek regarding their data practices and close relationship with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). “DeepSeek admits to sending Americans’ personal information to servers in China, where it is undoubtedly accessed by officials connected to the Chinese Communist Party. We are concerned that this relationship with agents having close connections to our primary adversary jeopardizes our data and our national security,” said Chairmen Guthrie and Bilirakis. “To ensure Americans and their businesses are secure from foreign interference, we are launching this investigation into DeepSeek and the risks it poses to our nation.” KEY LETTER EXCERPT: “By its own admission, the company’s mobile application—available on app stores in the U.S.—is sending Americans’ personal information to servers in the People’s Republic of China. According to media reports, the company is also sharing users’ personal information with other CCP-linked entities, including ByteDance Ltd. Researchers, meanwhile, have identified serious weaknesses in DeepSeek’s purported security controls and model safeguards. To address these risks, a growing number of states, including New York, Texas, and Virginia have banned DeepSeek on government devices, with states attorneys-general calling for a broader ban.” Background: On January 20, 2025, DeepSeek launched its open-source AI chatbot. On February 18, 2025, DeepSeek was accused of sharing user data with ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok. On March 6, 2025, 21 state attorneys-general urged Congressional leadership to prohibit government devices from “downloading and using the Chinese Communist Party’s DeepSeek AI Software.” On April 16, 2025, the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party published a report on DeepSeek funneling American data to the CCP and manipulating results to align with CCP propaganda. The Committee members requested answers to the following questions: Provide a detailed description of the types and sources of data used to train your AI models, including any U.S. personal or proprietary information. Confirm whether information entered into your AI applications or chatbots by American consumers or businesses is used to train your AI models. If yes, identify where this information is stored and accessed from, and whether it is shared with any state entity of the People’s Republic of China or other Chinese companies. Describe the technical, administrative, and physical controls used to secure personal and proprietary information associated with your AI offerings, as well as your process for evaluating the security of third-party service providers. Provide a detailed description of any U.S. technology products or services used to develop, integrate, or bring to market your AI offerings. This includes the use of open and closed source AI models developed by U.S. companies and the unauthorized “distillation” of American models. Provide a detailed description of how your AI models are developed and trained, including any steps taken to influence system outputs for alignment with Chinese Communist Party ideology or political goals. Provide a detailed description of any direct or indirect subsidies you receive from the People’s Republic of China, or its political subdivisions, related to AI development. Confirm whether your company has received a request from the People’s Republic of China, or its political subdivisions, for data related to your company’s AI offerings. This includes personal and proprietary data used to train or finetune an AI model and data ingested by your AI services. CLICK HERE to read the full letter. CLICK HERE to read the story from Fox News. ###

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, and Congressman Gary Palmer (AL-06), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, sent a letter to 23andMe regarding the handling of Americans' sensitive data following the company's decision to file for bankruptcy. KEY EXCERPT: “According to 23andMe’s privacy statement, in a bankruptcy, customers’ ‘Personal Information may be accessed, sold or transferred as part of that transaction and this Privacy Statement will apply to [customer] Personal Information as transferred to the new entity.’ Additionally, a judge recently ruled 23andMe has the right to sell the sensitive medical and genetic information of its 15 million customers, which is considered to be the company’s most valuable asset. With the lack of a federal comprehensive data privacy and security law, we write to express our great concern about the safety of Americans’ most sensitive personal information.” Background: On March 23, 2025, 23andMe initiated Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, which could have ramifications for the highly sensitive information of millions of Americans. While Americans’ personal health information is protected under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), these protections only apply if the information is collected by a HIPAA covered entity. Generally, direct-to-consumer companies, like 23andMe, are not covered by HIPAA. Customers have reported issues accessing and deleting their data from their 23andMe accounts. The Chairmen have requested answers to the following questions: If 23andMe were to sell the personal information of its customers either as a standalone asset or as part of a broader sale of the company, what post-sale data privacy and security protections would be in place for its customers’ personal information? Please describe how the representations made in 23andMe’s privacy statement will continue to apply—and be enforced—if the personal information of 23andMe’s customers is sold to a third party. Please include in this response information about what, if anything, would hold a third-party buyer to 23andMe’s privacy statement or prevent it from subsequently using, transferring, or otherwise selling, such information in the future. Does 23andMe plan to change its privacy statement at any time prior to selling any customers’ personal information? If so, please explain the change 23andMe plans to implement and when those changes will go into effect. Does 23andMe intend to vet prospective buyers to which it may sell its customers’ personal information? If so, please detail the vetting process and whether it will include the prospective buyer’s history of implementing data security protections and compliance with sectoral, state, or any other data privacy and security laws. If not, please explain why. Please detail the categories of customer information 23andMe has, and of that what 23andMe is considering selling. Has 23andMe notified its customers of the company’s bankruptcy announcement? If so, please attach the customer notification. If not, please explain why. Has 23andMe provided its customers with a guide for how to delete, or request to delete any information currently in 23andMe’s possession? If so, please provide a copy of that guide and specify when it was provided to customers. If not, please explain why, and explain whether 23andMe will contact each of its customers and provide an opportunity to delete their personal information prior to a potential sale of the company or personal information maintained by the company. Please detail the number of requests 23andMe received from its customers to delete their personal information between when 23andMe filed for bankruptcy and the date of the response to this letter. Of those requests, please provide a breakdown of how many requests were made by customers through their 23andMe online accounts and how many were made via customer service calls because customers were unable to successfully delete their information through their online accounts. Of those requests, please detail the number of fulfilled requests. Will 23andMe offer for sale any information in which a customer has requested the deletion of such information? If so, does 23andMe’s privacy policy consider selling information a legitimate purpose for retaining information past a customer's request to delete their information? Will 23andMe deidentify its customers’ personal information prior to selling it or the company? If so, please detail which information will be deidentified. If not, please explain why the company is electing not to deidentify information. CLICK HERE to read the full letter. CLICK HERE to read the story from CNBC. ###

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, released the following statement after Mark Meador was confirmed by the Senate to serve as a Commissioner on the Federal Trade Commission: “In the last administration, the FTC abandoned its rich bipartisan tradition and historical mission, in favor of a radical agenda and partisan mismanagement. The Commission needs to return to protecting Americans from bad actors and preserving competition in the marketplace,” said Chairmen Guthrie and Bilirakis. “We trust that Commissioner Meador, along with Chairman Ferguson and Commissioner Holyoak, are capable of restoring America’s trust in this institution and returning the Commission to its former position as the country’s premier consumer protection agency focusing on transparency and accountability.” ###

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, along with advocates for the TAKE IT DOWN Act, issued the following statements of support after the bill was reported out of Committee by a vote of 49 to 1. “No man, woman, or child should be subjected to the spread of explicit AI images meant to target and harass innocent victims. I am so thankful for our outstanding advocates and legislators who have worked hard to raise awareness and build a strong coalition to support this bipartisan bill,”   said Chairman Guthrie .  “Today, the Committee on Energy and Commerce advanced the bill to the full House of Representatives, where I look forward to, once again, voting in favor of the TAKE IT DOWN Act, so that we can send it to the President’s desk for signature.” “I remain dedicated to championing child well-being, ensuring that every young person can thrive and ‘Be Best.’ Thank you to the House Energy & Commerce Committee for advancing the TAKE IT DOWN Act. This marks a significant step in our bipartisan efforts to safeguard our children from online threats,”  said First Lady Melania Trump.   “I urge Congress to swiftly pass this important legislation. Together, we can create a safer, brighter future for all Americans!” “I am glad we are one step closer to protecting victims of online sexual exploitation. Giving victims rights to flag non-consensual images and requiring social media companies to remove that content quickly is a pivotal and necessary change to the online landscape,”  said Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade. “ And by ensuring that AI-generated deep-fake content is included in these protections, Congress is showing its commitment to fighting 21st Century harms that are plaguing our children and grandchildren.” “In February, our family mourned the loss of our loving son and brother, Elijah Heacock, after he fell victim to an extortion scheme on the internet,”  said Shannon Cronister-Heacock, mother of Elijah Heacock.  “We are grateful for the support of Chairman Guthrie and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce for passing the TAKE IT DOWN Act today to ensure that no parent, sibling, or loved one experiences a similar tragedy in the future. This bill honors Elijah’s life, and we are appreciative of Congress’ actions to protect children online and save lives.” “I was only fourteen years old when one of my classmates created deepfake, AI nudes of me and distributed them on social media. I was shocked, violated, and felt unsafe going to school. Thankfully, I was able to work with Senator Ted Cruz’s office to write the TAKE IT DOWN Act — and today is an important milestone towards that bill becoming law, so that no other girl has to go through what I went through without legal protections in place,”   said Elliston Berry, survivor and advocate .  “Thank you to Chairman Guthrie for prioritizing the TAKE IT DOWN Act for committee passage.” “At 14, for almost two years, I stood alone, advocating for AI deep fake laws to protect us after my school’s inaction and lack of accountability insulted my self-respect. This journey is dedicated to every woman and teenager who was told to stay silent and move on. It is also a testament to the courageous bipartisan leaders who stood beside me, proving that change is possible. Today, we celebrate a critical step towards the passage of the TAKE IT DOWN Act into federal law,”   said Francesca Mani, AI victim turned advocate & TIME100 AI Most Influential Person.   “A heartfelt thank you to Chairman Guthrie for standing with us and making swift committee passage possible. We are no longer alone.” “Today, we celebrate an important victory with House committee passage of the TAKE IT DOWN Act, a federal safeguard against non-consensual AI-generated intimate images,”   said Dorota Mani, an educator, advocate, and mother .  “This important legislation, which is now well on its way to the President’s desk, staunchly defends our women and children while preserving every American’s dignity and rights.” “Survivors—both minors and adults—deserve protection and justice. Every survivor should be able to report their abuse to law enforcement, have their abuse content removed fully and abusers should be found and held appropriately accountable. Image-based sexual abuse is sexual assault facilitated online. You cannot accidentally sexual assault someone offline and the same should be true for the online. The harms of all forms of image-based sexual abuse—including deepfake abuse—quickly follow that victim home, to school, to work and anywhere they try to exist after such a profound and public trauma,”   said Andrea Powell, Co-Founder and Chief of Impact, Alecto AI .  “Alecto AI supports the TAKE IT DOWN Act because we believe that in its passage, we will be getting closer to a world where young women and girls don’t have worry that being online means being targets of sexual violence. All survivors deserve protection and justice.” ###

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, delivered the following opening statement at today’s hearing titled  The World Wild Web: Examining Harms Online. Subcommittee Chairman Bilirakis' opening statement as prepared for delivery: “Good morning, everyone and welcome to today’s subcommittee hearing to examine risks to Americans’ safety online.  “Today’s hearing is incredibly important, and I am thankful we are hitting the ground early this Congress to protect ourselves from dangers in the online world.  “Technology has created a wonderful tool to gather information and connect us to the world. But with every new, great tool, malicious actors have found a way to reconfigure technology to spread malice and harm people across the globe. While Congress has looked to build walls preventing these harms from occurring, we have failed to keep pace with technology. “Take for example the important work Congress did to combat the sexual exploitation of children.   “When Congress first worked on this issue, it was hard to imagine Artificial Intelligence could be used to create fake, but life-like, non-consensual intimate images of children. Worse still, it was hard to imagine anyone so vile who would actually do it.  “But today, detestable people are extorting children with technology, creating these images and uploading them online for the world to see. And it doesn’t stop with deepfakes either, criminals are masking themselves as friends or romantic partners to solicit intimate authentic images of children and ransoming these images for a quick buck. The pain these children experience is horrid, and it breaks my heart. “Yiota, thank you for your work at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and for providing your expertise. I’m looking forward to your testimony on why Congress must act immediately to stop this abhorrent practice. “Congress must take a holistic approach to establish protections online, which is why I’m so proud to see many of our members working on different mechanisms to protect our children. “I for one am eager to move the ball forward on the Kids Online Safety Act. While this is not a legislative hearing, I’m hoping we can use this hearing to improve the legislation and enact a law that provides parents with the tools they need while also targeting illegal content from ever making its way to children’s screens in the first place. Parents know their children the best, so we must adequately equip them with the tools they need to protect their families. “Unfortunately, it is clear the existing tools don’t work. I am tired of hearing Big Tech insist that solutions are already in place when it is clear they are not working. The very companies that have positioned themselves as the gatekeepers of our children’s online safety continue to let us down. Dawn and Clare, thank you for being here to share your experiences and your commitment to driving real change. “This hearing should not be partisan, it is far too important of an issue to use as a political circus. Many of us here today have introduced or are working on legislation to build protections from harms online – this is not partisan issue and impacts every one of our districts.  “In 2022, McKenna Brown, a 16-year-old from Tampa Bay, tragically took her life after being victimized by cyber-bullying through multiple social media apps and text messages. McKenna’s parents knew none of this until it was too late. Since then, her mother Cheryl, has been an advocate for change, urging lawmakers to give parents the tools necessary to keep kids safe.  “I also understand there are similarly situated parents in the audience. And I want to recognize your own stories, efforts, and commitment to protect children from online harms. “So, I am hopeful we can work with our friends across the aisle and use this hearing as the catalyst to move important protections for children across the finish line and bring about a safer online experience for all, but especially our children. The risks are too severe for us to fail. “Thank you to the witnesses for being here today and sharing your expertise with us. I yield back and recognize my friend, Ms. Schakowsky, the ranking member of the subcommittee.” ###

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, led a hearing titled The World Wild Web: Examining Harms Online . “Our increasingly digital world continually presents new threats and challenges, especially to our children. I remain focused on addressing the clear risks facing the most vulnerable and want to ensure they are not being exploited by bad actors online,” said Chairman Bilirakis. “Today, we held an important discussion that I hope will be an important beginning to developing bipartisan consensus around legislation to protect Americans, including our children, from threats in the online world. I look forward to working with my colleagues to get this urgent priority across the finish line.” Watch the full hearing here . Below are key excerpts from today’s hearing : Congressman Rus Fulcher (ID-01): “Mr. Chairman, I have to admit I might be a little bit confused if I’m in the right committee hearing. We’ve somehow seemed to have got sidetracked into a presidential branch personnel discussions and food prices, so I do have some questions, but they have to do with kids online safety and, uh, and, and that subject matter. Am I in the right place? Do I have that subject matter correct?” Chairman Bilirakis: “Correct.” Congresswoman Kat Cammack (FL-03): “Today’s hearing, the ‘World Wild Web, Examining Harms Online’ could not be more timely. From exploitation to manipulation, we know that the internet has become a breeding ground for serious threats, especially to those most vulnerable – our kids. I want to begin by personally apologizing to the parents and the guests here in the committee room today for the behavior of some of my colleagues. We’re here to focus on kids and the issue at hand, not play liberal catchphrase, talk about food prices, or talk about billionaires. Anything that deviates from that is politically motivated and it is disgusting. And I am so sorry that you are in this room, championing this issue because you have had an experienced tragedy in your family. I am so very sorry.” Congressman Russell Fry (SC-07): “There is a reason why Democrats are viewed by the American people at an all-time low. It’s because they can’t keep the main thing, the main thing. We are here today, to be clear, 100%. Everyone knew the assignment when we got into this hearing room ahead of time. We are here to talk about children’s safety online. And all I hear from the other side is rantings and ravings about the FTC. If you want to talk about the FTC, go do a one-minute speech on the House floor. You want to talk about the FTC, have a press conference. Here, we are here to talk about children. But they can’t seem to get it, and that’s why they’re viewed deeply unpopular by the American people right now. In fact, the witness from the FTC spent 4 of her 5 minutes talking about how she was fired and not the actual subject why we’re here. So that’s frustrating to me, that there’s broad bipartisan consensus on a lot of this stuff, and we’re here to examine that on ways that we can advance sensible policy.” ###

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, announced a hearing titled The World Wild Web: Examining Harms Online . “Our increasingly digital world continually presents new threats and challenges, especially to our children. Congress must continue to address risks facing the most vulnerable and take steps to help ensure they are not being exploited by bad actors online,” said Chairmen Guthrie and Bilirakis. “We are looking forward to this important discussion and hope this leads to bipartisan consensus around legislation to protect Americans, including our children, from threats in the online world.”     Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade hearing titled The World Wild Web: Examining Harms Online     WHAT : Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade hearing on online dangers to children.     DATE : Wednesday, March 26, 2025  TIME : 10:00 AM ET LOCATION : 2123 Rayburn House Office Building  This notice is at the direction of the Chairman. The hearing will be open to the public and press and will be livestreamed online at energycommerce.house.gov . If you have any questions concerning this hearing, please contact Alex Khlopin at Alex.Khlopin@mail.house.gov . If you have any press-related questions, please contact Daniel Kelly at Daniel.Kelly@mail.house.gov .  ###