On March 25, the CEOs of Facebook, Alphabet, and Twitter will testify before the U.S. congress committee about “misinformation and disinformation plaguing online channels.”
Two Senate subcommittees and the Energy and Commerce Committee, all headed by Democratic lawmakers, will challenge Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg about their companies’ position in the spread of misinformation online.
The virtual joint hearing was announced after it was discovered that pro-Trump extremists who invaded the US Capitol had planned weeks ahead of time on social media sites.
As the U.S. congress debates whether to alter legal provisions for social media platforms, a pair of subcommittees will hold a completely virtual joint hearing with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.
“Whether it’s false claims about the COVID-19 vaccine or debunked claims of election fraud, these online platforms have enabled misinformation to spread, intensifying national crises with real-life, grim consequences for public health and safety,” said Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone and the chairs of the two subcommittees, Representatives Mike Doyle and Jan Schakowsky.
“For far too long, big tech has refused to recognize its role in fomenting and elevating blatantly false information to its online audiences,” they continued.
Self-regulation by the industry has failed.”
“Disinformation Nation: Social Media’s Role in Promoting Extremism and Misinformation” is the title of the hearing.
On Thursday, starting at noon ET, you can watch it live here.
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