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US Senate tech hearing becomes political showdown

Stevicus

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
'Who the hell elected you?' U.S. Senate tech hearing becomes political showdown

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - 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 only went after the companies but also attacked each other.

Lawmakers are split on ways 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 firms shape political discourse.

Republican lawmakers used most of their time during the hearing to accuse the companies of selective censorship against conservatives. Democrats primarily focused on insufficient action against misinformation that interferes with the election.

In response to a limited number of questions discussing the law, the chief executives of Twitter Inc TWTR.N, Facebook Inc FB.O and Alphabet Inc's GOOGL.O Google said it was crucial to free expression on the internet. They said Section 230 gives them the tools to strike a balance between preserving free speech and moderating content, even as they appeared open to suggestions the law needs moderate changes.

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

The Republicans were accusing the companies of selective censorship against conservatives.

The Democrats said the hearings were done for electoral purposes.

Senator Ted Cruz went after Twitter’s Jack Dorsey after the CEO said Twitter has no influence over elections.

“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,” Cruz said, referring to the platform’s decision to block stories from the 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 each other.

Democratic Senator Brian Schatz said he did not have any questions, calling the hearing “nonsense”. “This is bullying and it is for electoral purposes,” he said.

Apparently, the EU will also be considering similar proposals.

Republican Senator Roger Wicker, who chairs the committee, said it was important to shield companies from liability without giving them the ability to censor content they dislike.

“The time has come for that free pass to end,” he said.

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

He and other senators such as 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 are not 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 illegal content. Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager is due to unveil her proposals on Dec. 2.
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
Sounds like the Senate has not a single clue as how to social media moderation actually works (and I only have a clue because of John Oliver's show).
 

PureX

Veteran Member
They aren't going to be able to discuss the weather right now without turning it into baseless and idiotic accusations. It's a week before the election.
 

exchemist

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





The Republicans were accusing the companies of selective censorship against conservatives.

The Democrats said the hearings were done for electoral purposes.



Apparently, the EU will also be considering similar proposals.
What is interesting is that many Republicans fail to see that the objective is to remove lies from circulation. Because they see the world entirely through a political prism of winning at any cost, they have lost sight of the fact that so many of these "censored" stories are simply lies. The remedy is simple: the political Right must learn once more to stop dealing in falsehoods, inventions, the belittling of science and the general pretence that they can construct their own alternative version of truth. The irony is that it is traditionally the Right that opposes the march of relativism.

Good thing, though, that there is a bipartisan agreement that these IT companies need their monopolies challenged.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Senate hearings....they usually seem to be nothing more
than politicians seeking political gain by either berating or
praising citizens in the hot seat.
It's not about getting info they didn't already know.
Or should've known (eg, Zuckerberg owns Facebook,
not Twitter), but didn't.
 
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