Google, Facebook, Twitter Face Hearing On Capitol Hill Over Misinformation

Tech giants Google, Facebook and Twitter chief executive will stand before Congress again on Thursday afternoon to face questions about misinformation and extremism in their platforms.

Sundar Pichai, Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey will appear before a virtual joint hearing of two subcommittees of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

This is happening after a highly-publicised antitrust hearing last July and marks the first time they have appeared on Capitol Hills Since Rioters stormed the Capitol on 6 January

It follows a highly-publicised anti-trust hearing last July and marks the first time they have appeared on Capitol Hill since rioters stormed the Capitol on 6 January.

Former President Donald Trump, who has been accused of inciting violence, has been banned by both Facebook and Twitter over his role in the incident. He remains temporarily suspended by Google-owned YouTube.

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Republicans are likely to criticize the tech giants on the panel over what they consider to be efforts to stifle conservative voices.

The discussion has been raging in the US over potential reform of section 230 of the Communication Decency Act, which protects platforms from liability over user content. Some politicians, including President Joe Biden, support this move.

The three tech bosses have previously defended the law, arguing that it is crucial to defending free speech online.

Facebook said in written testimony this week that Section 230 should be reformed to provide companies with immunity from liability provided they follow best practices for removing harmful material.

Committee chair Frank Pallone criticised the firms for failing to clamp down on misinformation despite years of political pressure and a number of new policies.

Last year social media was inundated by misinformation, often fuelled by Trump supporters, relating to false claims about election fraud, as well as conspiracies about the coronavirus pandemic.