WASHINGTON (Nexstar) — Twitter, Facebook and Google’s top executives testified on Capitol Hill Wednesday. Senate lawmakers grilled them about Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the rule that shields tech companies from liability when their social media platforms moderate content.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) accused Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey of blocking content he doesn’t agree with.
“Why do you persist in behaving as a Democratic Super PAC, silencing views contrary to your political beliefs,” Cruz asked.
“We are not doing that. We realize we need to earn trust more,” Dorsey explained.
Dorsey admitted the company was wrong when it blocked the New York Post from sharing a story about Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s son.
“We recognized an error in this policy and specifically its enforcement,” he said.
Dorsey says Twitter has since changed its policy. The platform will now label tweets to provide context, instead of blocking links. Cruz wasn’t convinced.
Democrats argued companies like Twitter, Facebook and Google need strict policies to stop the spread of misinformation. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the Federal Bureau of Investigation warned his company to closely monitor foreign hackers.
“That we be on high alert and sensitivity that if a trove of documents appeared, that we should view that with suspicion,” Zuckerberg said.
Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) says the companies should ignore Republican threats and keep doing their jobs.
“Will you continue to push back on this kind of foreign interference, even if powerful Republicans threaten to take official action against your companies?” Udall asked.
“Senator, absolutely,” Zuckerberg replied.
