Big Tech CEOs Told ‘Time for Self-Regulation is Over’ by Lawmakers
The chief executives of Facebook, Google and Twitter appeared before Congress on Thursday to answer questions about extremism and misinformation on their services in their first appearances since pro-Trump rioters…
The chief executives of Facebook, Google and Twitter appeared before Congress on Thursday to answer questions about extremism and misinformation on their services in their first appearances since pro-Trump rioters assaulted the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg; Sundar Pichai, chief executive of Google parent Alphabet Inc; and Twitter Inc CEO Jack Dorsey are testifying before the joint hearing by two subcommittees of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
While the hearing is virtual, advocacy group SumOfUs erected cut-outs of the three CEOs dressed as Jan. 6 rioters on the National Mall near the Capitol. One showed Zuckerberg as the “QAnon Shaman,” a shirtless rioter wearing horns.
Lawmakers began the hearing by criticizing the social media platforms for their role in the riot and in the spread of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation, as well as concerns about children’s mental health.
“You failed to meaningfully change after your platform has played a role in fomenting insurrection and abetting the spread of the virus and trampling American civil liberties,” said Democratic Representative Frank Pallone, chair of the Energy and Commerce committee.
“Your business model itself has become the problem and the time for self-regulation is over. It’s time we legislate to hold you accountable,” he added.
Some lawmakers are calling for Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which shields online platforms from liability over user content, to be scrapped or rejigged. There are several pieces of legislation from Democrats to reform Section 230 that are doing the rounds in