Tech CEOs Come Under Fire for Online Disinformation, Lack of Accountability -- 3rd Update

By Ryan Tracy 

WASHINGTON -- Lawmakers blamed big technology companies for an array of societal problems Thursday, excoriating their CEOs for lack of accountability and building momentum for legislation to weaken the liability shield enjoyed by online platforms.

In a combative House hearing stretching more than five hours Thursday, the chief executives of Facebook Inc., Twitter Inc., Alphabet Inc. and its Google unit were accused of running social media platforms that sow political discord, spread Covid-19 misinformation and create a dangerous environment for children.

"Your business model itself has become the problem," said Rep. Frank Pallone (D., N.J.), the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R. Wash.), the panel's top Republican, told the CEOs, "Your platforms are my biggest fear as a parent."

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, and Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet Inc., which owns Google and YouTube, defended their products' benefits and said harmful content isn't profitable because it makes their services less appealing.

Much of the hearing focused directly or indirectly on Section 230, the law that generally shields online platforms from liability for the content that their users post, but also gives the platforms broad discretion to remove that content.

Republicans and Democrats have been divided over both the shortcomings of 230 and the remedies to correct them, but Thursday's hearing indicated there was bipartisan support for revising the law.

"We're going to see some changes in Section 230," said Rep. Fred Upton (R., Mich.), the committee's former chairman.

"This panel has done something truly rare in Washington these days: It has united Democrats and Republicans," said Rep. Angie Craig (D., Minn.) "Your industry cannot be trusted to regulate itself."

A major focus, particularly among Republican members, were questions about the effects of social media on children, suggesting that issue could become fodder for an eventual legislative bargain.

Rep. Bill Johnson (R., Ohio) likened the CEOs of big tech companies to those from large tobacco companies, referencing the effects that cyberbullying, extremism and screen addiction have on children.

"Big Tech is essentially handing our children a lit cigarette and hoping they will stay hooked for life," Mr. Johnson said. "There's a lot of smugness among you. There's this air of untouchableness in your response to many of [the] tough questions you've been asked."

Mr. Zuckerberg dismissed the idea that social media might be harmful to children.

"The research we've seen is that using social apps to connect to other people can have health benefits," he said, though he acknowledged that Facebook was internally researching such matters.

He also said the company was "early in thinking through" a version of its Instagram product for children under 13. That new service would potentially join YouTube, which operates YouTube Kids, in creating a platform aimed at young users.

Democratic lawmakers mentioned several ideas beyond changing Section 230.

Rep. Peter Welch (D., Vt.) floated the possibility of a new public entity to oversee the online world and take over some of the difficult decisions that the companies now make over content moderation and other issues. Rep. Mike Doyle (D., Pa.), a senior member of the panel, said the companies' platforms played a central role in unrest after the November 2020 election, and government needs regulations and "audit authority" over social media technology.

The appearances of the CEOs, via video, was their first before a House panel since the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. They began the hearing by addressing questions about social media's role in fomenting the discord and their subsequent decisions to suspend or ban former President Donald Trump.

Mr. Zuckerberg pushed back against lawmakers' blaming of his company for societal ills, laying out Facebook seeks to deal with harmful or false content.

"It's not possible to catch every piece of harmful content without infringing on people's freedoms in a way that I don't think we'd be comfortable with as a society," he said. "The system isn't perfect, but it's the best approach we've found."

Pressed on Facebook's responsibility for the Jan. 6 event, he said, "I believe that the former president should be responsible for his words and that the people who broke the law should be responsible for their actions."

More broadly, Mr. Zuckerberg said that "the division we see today is the result of a political and media environment that drives people apart."

Mr. Pichai said false information spreading online presents "a big challenge without easy answers," and noted that the free flow of information on the web "has been a powerful force for good for so many."

Twitter makes mistakes, Mr. Dorsey said, but he warned lawmakers about a world without content takedowns. "If we woke up tomorrow and decided to stop moderating content, we would end up with a service very few people or advertisers would want to use," he said.

Mr. Zuckerberg said Congress should consider forcing digital platforms to earn the legal immunity they enjoy hosting third-party content, a legal change that could affect a range of online businesses.

Both Democrats and Republicans are concerned that Section 230 gives large tech companies too much leeway to decide what information Americans see, though the parties have different concerns.

The law, an element of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, helped fuel the growth of social media by giving internet platforms immunity for comments that users, reviewers, consumers and others post on their sites.

Many Republicans think social-media platforms are removing too much content under Section 230, while Democrats see them not removing enough and allowing harmful content to spread.

To date, those divisions have stood in the way of any consensus on how to change Section 230, and no bill to do so has gained significant traction on Capitol Hill.

Twitter and Google have indicated that they are open to discussing legal changes with Congress, but they have been less specific than Facebook about what Section 230 changes they would support.

"We rely on the liability protections to actually take strong action on particularly new types of content," such as a video of a mass shooting, Mr. Pichai told lawmakers.

Mr. Dorsey cautioned against allowing governments to decide content-moderation practices. "Forcing every business to behave the same reduces innovation and individual choice," he said.

He also questioned the idea of differentiating between large and small platforms. "I think it's going to be very hard to determine what is a large platform and a small platform, and it may incentivize the wrong things," he said.

Mr. Dorsey posted several tweets during the hearing, one poking fun at demands for yes-or-no answers to questions.

"Your multitasking skills are quite impressive," Rep. Kathleen Rice (D., N.Y.), noticing the tweets, told him.

--John D. McKinnon, Tripp Mickle and Jeff Horwitz contributed to this article.

Write to Ryan Tracy at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 25, 2021 18:12 ET (22:12 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2021 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.