Facebook, Twitter, Google CEOs will testify before US Senate committee
03 October, 2020
The chief executives of Facebook and Alphabet-owned Google have decided to voluntarily testify at a hearing prior to the Senate Commerce Committee on Oct 28 about a key law protecting internet companies.
Facebook and Twitter confirmed on Friday (Oct 2) that their CEOs, Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey, respectively, will appear, while a source said that Google's Sundar Pichai will appear. That came a day following the committee unanimously voted to approve an idea to subpoena the three CEOs to appear before the panel.
Twitter's Dorsey tweeted on Friday that the hearing "should be constructive & centered on what counts most to the American people: how we work together to safeguard elections."
The CEOs are to appear virtually.
Furthermore to discussions on reforming regulations called Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects internet companies from liability over content posted by users, the hearing provides up issues about consumer privacy and media consolidation.
Republican President Donald Trump has made holding tech companies accountable for allegedly stifling conservative voices a style of his administration. Therefore, demands a reform of Section 230 have been intensifying ahead of the Nov. 3 elections, but there is little potential for approval by Congress this year.
Last week Trump met with nine Republican state attorneys general to go over the fate of Section 230 after the Justice Department unveiled a legislative proposal aimed at reforming the law.
The principle executives of Google, Facebook, Apple Inc and Amazon.com Inc recently testified before the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee’s antitrust panel. The panel, which is investigating how the companies’ practices hurt rivals, is likely to release its report as early as next Monday.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com