Lawmakers seek boycott of Apple, Google

BLANCHARD — Representative Heather Scott is among 22 Idaho representatives and senators who are calling on the state to cease investment and spending with tech giants claiming the companies are censoring free speech and the free exchange of ideas.

The lawmakers were joined by Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin in calling on the board of trustees for the Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho to withdraw $661 million in investments in Google, Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Twitter. The board oversees how PERSI funds are invested. The letter also notes that the state made $1.9 million in purchase from the tech and social media platform companies.

"By investing in these platforms, PERSI board members make a conscious decision to use Idaho taxpayer dollars to support the practices of these companies in censoring the political and religious speech of Idahoans," the lawmakers and McGeachin said in the one-page letter to PERSI's board.

The group said it is confident the panel can find other companies to invest in which do not pose a compromise to the values of all members who contribute their hard-earned dollars to PERSI.

PERSI has a $206 million investment in Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet, and a $203 million in investment in Amazon. PERSI invests $156 million and $91 million investments in Apple and Facebook, respectively. PERSI has a $3 million investment in Twitter.

The moves comes after Twitter and Facebook suspended the accounts of former President Donald Trump, who is accused of using the platforms to foment insurrection and riot at the nation's capitol on Jan. 6.

Apple and Google booted Parler, a social media network favored by Trump supporters and other groups on the far right, from their application stores. The companies alleged that Parler had fallen short of policing posts to its network. Amazon, meanwhile, jettisoned Parler from its web-hosting service for repeated rule violations.

Social media has also de-platformed QANON, a conspiracy theory group which holds that Democrat politicians are part of a Satanic cabal which engages in pedophilia and child torture. Trump has cosigned some of the group's theories on social media.

Scott did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

"PERSI investments are diversified to minimize the risk of loss and to maximize the rate of return," Jeff Cilek, the PERSI board chairman, said in a statement released on Friday.

The fund's investments, according to Idaho Code, are solely in the interest of the members and their beneficiaries and for the exclusive purpose of providing benefits to the members and defraying reasonable expenses of administering the fund, Cilek said.

"PERSI's simple, transparent, focused and patient approach following conventional investment principles continues to produce strong results," Cilek added.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com or followed on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.