(D) CONSTITUTIONAL
LAWYERS.—In ap-
pointing certified professionals under subpara-
graph (A), the Director shall appoint at least 
15 constitutional lawyers. 
SEC. 4. STUDIES AND INVESTIGATIONS. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING USE OF SEC-
TION 6(b) AUTHORITY.—It is the sense of Congress that 
the Commission should do the following: 
(1) Use the authority of the Commission under 
section 6(b) of the Federal Trade Commission Act 
(15 U.S.C. 46(b)), on an ongoing basis, to conduct 
investigative studies of providers of hosting services. 
(2) Provide the Bureau with adequate authority 
and resources to conduct such investigative studies. 
(3) Conduct such investigative studies to gain a 
better understanding of the following systemic risks: 
(A) The dissemination of illegal content or 
illegal goods, or the facilitation of illegal activ-
ity, through a hosting service. 
(B) Discrimination against individuals 
based on race, color, religion or creed, national 
origin or ancestry, sex (including gender, preg-
nancy status, sexual orientation, or gender 
identity), age, physical or mental disability, vet-
eran status, genetic information, or citizenship 
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by, or resulting from the activities of, a pro-
vider of a hosting service. 
(C) Any malfunctioning or intentional ma-
nipulation of a hosting service, including by 
means of inauthentic use or coordinated, auto-
mated, or other exploitation of the service or 
risks inherent to the intended operation of the 
service, including the amplification of illegal 
content, and of content that is in breach of the 
community standards of the provider of the 
service and has an actual or foreseeable nega-
tive effect on the protection of public health, 
minors, civic discourse, electoral processes, pub-
lic security, or the safety of vulnerable and 
marginalized communities. 
(b) WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTIONS.— 
(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
(A) COVERED
PERSON.—The term ‘‘cov-
ered person’’ means a person who is— 
(i) a provider of a hosting service; 
(ii) an officer, employee, contractor, 
subcontractor, or agent of a provider of a 
hosting service; or 
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(iii) an officer, employee, or agent of 
a contractor or subcontractor of a provider 
of a hosting service. 
(B) PROTECTED
INDIVIDUAL.—The term 
‘‘protected individual’’ means an individual who 
is— 
(i) an officer, employee, contractor, 
subcontractor, or agent of a provider of a 
hosting service; 
(ii) an officer, employee, or agent of a 
contractor or subcontractor of a provider 
of a hosting service; or 
(iii) a certified researcher. 
(2) WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—A covered person may 
not discharge, demote, suspend, threaten, har-
ass, or in any other manner discriminate 
against (in the terms and conditions of employ-
ment or otherwise) a protected individual if 
such discrimination is due, in whole or in part, 
to the protected individual’s lawful, good faith 
act done, or perceived by the covered person to 
have been done or about to be done, because 
the protected individual— 
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