'Who the hell elected you?' U.S. Senate tech hearing becomes political showdown

A U.S. Senate hearing to reform an internet law and hold tech companies accountable for how they moderate content quickly turned into a political scuffle as lawmakers not merely went following the companies but also attacked each other.

Lawmakers are split on methods to hold Big Tech accountable under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act - which protects companies from liability over content posted by users but also lets the organizations shape political discourse.

Republican lawmakers used almost all of their time during the hearing to accuse the firms of selective censorship against conservatives. Democrats generally centered on insufficient action against misinformation that interferes with the election.

In response to a restricted number of questions discussing regulations, the principle executives of Twitter Inc, Facebook Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google said it had been imperative to free expression on the web. They said Section 230 gives them the tools to strike a balance between preserving free speech and moderating content, even while they appeared open to suggestions the law needs moderate changes.

All three CEOs also agreed the firms ought to be held liable if the platforms act as a publisher but denied being the referees over political speech - a declare that angered some Republicans.

Senator Ted Cruz went after Twitter's Jack Dorsey following the CEO said Twitter does not have any influence over elections.

"Who the hell elected you and put you in charge of what the media are permitted to report and what the American people are permitted to hear," Cruz said, referring to the platform's decision to block stories from the brand new York Post about the son of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. Ahead of the hearing, the senator released a picture on Twitter titled "Free Speech showdown Cruz vs Dorsey" that showed him and Twitter's Dorsey pitted against one another.

Democratic Senator Brian Schatz said he didn't have any questions, calling the hearing "nonsense". "That is bullying in fact it is for electoral purposes," he said.

Other Democrats including Tammy Baldwin, Ed Markey and Amy Klobuchar also said the hearing happened to help President Donald Trump's re-election effort.

Trump, who alleges the companies' stifle conservative voices, tweeted "Repeal Section 230!" during the hearing.

Twitter's Dorsey, who drew the most amount of criticism from Republicans, warned the committee that eroding the building blocks of Section 230 could drastically hurt how people communicate on the net. Pichai said Google operates without political bias and that doing otherwise would be against its business interests.

Zuckerberg, who briefly had difficulty along with his internet connection at the start of the hearing, said he supports changing the law but also warned that tech platforms will probably censor more to avoid legal risks if Section 230 is repealed. Biden has expressed support for revoking regulations.

Republican Senator Roger Wicker, who chairs the committee, said it had been important to shield companies from liability without providing them with the opportunity to censor content they dislike.

"Enough time has come for that free pass to get rid of," he said.

Wicker also criticized Twitter's decision to block the brand new York Post stories about Biden's son and Facebook's move to limit their reach.

He and other senators such as for example Cory Gardner went after Twitter for not taking down tweets from world leaders that allegedly spread misinformation but going aggressively after Republican President Donald Trump's tweets.

U.S. lawmakers aren't the only ones pushing for reform. The European Union's executive Commission is drafting a new Digital Services Act that, in addition to tackling market abuses by dominant platforms, would also address liability for harmful or illegitimate content. Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager is because of unveil her proposals on Dec 2.