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Story (KTLA)
March 25, 2021

Facebook, Twitter and Google CEOs grilled by Congress on misinformation, speech responsibility

Ungrateful Democrats, now that the election is over, eye more regulation



The CEOs of tech giants Facebook, Twitter and Google faced a grilling in Congress Thursday as lawmakers tried to draw them into acknowledging their companies' roles in fueling the January insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and rising COVID-19 vaccine misinformation.

In a hearing by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, lawmakers pounded Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg; Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google, which owns YouTube; and Twitter chief Jack Dorsey over their content policies, use of consumers' data and children's media use.

Republicans raised long-running conservative grievances, unproven, that the platforms are biased against conservative viewpoints and censor material based on political or religious viewpoints.

There is increasing support in Congress for legislation to rein in Big Tech companies.

"The time for self-regulation is over. It's time we legislate to hold you accountable", said Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., the committee's chairman.

That legislative momentum, plus the social environment of political polarization, hate speech and violence against minorities, was reflected in panel members' impatience as they questioned the three executives. Several lawmakers demanded yes-or-no answers and repeatedly cut the executives off.

"We always feel some sense of responsibility", Pichai said. Zuckerberg used the word "nuanced" several times to insist that the issues can't be boiled down. "Any system can make mistakes" in moderating harmful material, he said.

"I don't think we should be the arbiters of truth and I don't think the government should be either", Dorsey said.

Democrats are laying responsibility on the social media platforms for disseminating false information on the November election and the "Stop the Steal" voting fraud claims fueled by former President Donald Trump, which led to the deadly attack on the Capitol. Rep. Mike Doyle, a Pennsylvania Democrat, told the CEOs that the riot "started and was nourished on your platforms".

The tech CEOs defended the legal shield under Section 230, saying it has helped make the internet the forum of free expression that it is today. Zuckerberg, however, again urged the lawmakers to update that law to ensure it's working as intended. He added a specific suggestion: Congress could require internet platforms to gain legal protection only by proving that their systems for identifying illegal content are up to snuff.
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