Published 11:50 IST, October 29th 2020
US Senator lashes out at Twitter for 'rampant censorship', grills Google and Facebook
The CEOs of Facebook, Twitter and Google, Marck Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey and Sundar Pichai respectively were grinded in a US Senate hearing.
As the campaign for US election 2020 is rounding up, the CEOs of Facebook, Twitter and Google, Marck Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey and Sundar Pichai respectively were grilled in a US Senate hearing. While the hearing was to reform an internet law and hold tech companies accountable for the regulation of content on their platforms, it quickly turned into a political scuffle with lawmaker attacking the companies and questioning “who elected you?”
Republican Senator Ted Cruz accused the tech giants of their selective censorship against the conservatives and focussed on the insufficient action against the misinformation surrounding the November election. As per reports, there were a limited number of responses by the heads of Facebook, Apple Inc’s Google, Twitter with them reiterating that it was crucial to monitor free speech on the platforms.
The lawmakers are divided on the ways to hold the giants accountable under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. This law safeguards the companies from liability over the content posted by its users on the platform but also allows them to shape the political division in the country. However, all three tech firms in the Senate hearing insisted that Section 230 provides them with the tools to maintain a balance between securing free speech of the people while also monitoring the content.
Even though all three companies agreed that some reform in the law is required to moderate the content and shall be held liable if the platforms act as a publisher, they denied being the referees over political speech. However, as per reports, these claims made some Republican furious. Senator Cruz went after Twitter’s Jack Dorsey when the latter said that the micro-blogging site has no influence over the 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 while referring to theTwitter’s decision to take down stories from the New York Post about Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s son. According to him, it is 'rampant censorship'
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Democrats call it ‘bullying’ for electoral purposes
Democratic Senator Brian Schatz did not agree with Cruz’s remarks and termed it has “nonsense” and “bullying” for electoral purposes. Other Democrats such as Tammy Baldwin, Ed Markey and Amy Klobuchar also said that the entire hearing was to help Republican US President Donald Trump’s reelection on November 3. The Republican leader, who has repeatedly lashed out on Twitter for limiting conservatives, took to Twitter during the hearing and said “Repeal Section 230!” Republican Senator Roger Wicker, the chair of the committee, stated that "The time has come for that free pass to end."
Updated 11:49 IST, October 29th 2020