Facebook, Twitter CEOs visit Congress again: How to watch on Tuesday

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey have gotten acquainted faces on Capitol Hill. On Tuesday, the social media bosses are visiting with senators to take questions on how they reasonable content material on their websites.

The Senate Judiciary Committee listening to was known as after Republicans demanded the CEOs clarify why they restricted the unfold of a New York Post article that prompt unproven improprieties involving President-elect Joe Biden’s son. (Biden representatives have challenged the article’s content material.) The social networks’ actions raised questions on how they fact-check political content material.

The digital listening to marks the second time Zuckerberg and Dorsey are showing earlier than lawmakers in lower than a month. On Oct. 28, the executives, together with Google CEO Sundar Pichai, testified at a listening to on Section 230, a legislation that provides web firms immunity for content material posted by their customers. That listening to strayed from its supposed function, with senators difficult the trio on content material moderation insurance policies, together with their responses to the New York Post story. 

The new proceedings come as lawmakers ramp up scrutiny of Big Tech, a growth that may seemingly proceed below the Biden administration. Legislators and regulators are involved concerning the energy tech firms have and the way it would possibly in the end hurt customers. Google faces a Department of Justice lawsuit that alleges the Alphabet subsidiary is a search monopoly. Rivals Apple, Amazon and Facebook are additionally the themes of investigation. In July, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Zuckerberg and Pichai appeared just about at a listening to earlier than the House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee. The subcommittee accused the tech giants of “abuses of monopoly power” in a 449-page report. 

Tuesday’s listening to known as Breaking the News: Censorship, Suppression, and the 2020 Election. Here’s what you want to know:

When

The listening to started Tuesday at 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT. 

Where

The listening to is being streamed stay on the committee’s webpage or on CNET’s YouTube channel.

What to anticipate

Republicans on the committee, comparable to Ted Cruz of Texas and Josh Hawley of Missouri, will seemingly blast Twitter for limiting the unfold of the New York Post article and subsequent posts about it. Cruz was significantly laborious on Dorsey on the October listening to, demanding that the chief clarify “who the hell elected you and put you in charge of what the media are allowed to report and what the American people are allowed to hear?” 

The committee is chaired by Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who’s a key ally of the president. Overall, anticipate Republicans to complain that Facebook and Twitter suppress conservative content material, a frequent allegation the businesses have denied. 

An attention-grabbing wrinkle within the proceedings would be the presence of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, a California Democrat. Harris has shut ties to Silicon Valley and is pleasant with Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. Still, anticipate Harris, who has supported legal guidelines on digital privateness, on-line harassment and app-based gig employee protections, to go powerful on the witnesses. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, who’s reportedly being thought of for positions contained in the Biden administration, will even ask laborious questions. 

The Democrats will virtually actually focus on what Facebook and Twitter are doing to cease hate speech, disinformation and interference in home affairs by overseas adversaries, like Russia and China.