Republican senators could have asked the CEOs of Facebook, Twitter, and Google how reforming Section 230 would fundamentally change the internet.
Instead, less than a week before Election Day, lawmakers tried to bully them into letting Donald Trump spread misinformation.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey testified remotely on Wednesday in front of the Senate Commerce Committee.
There are a lot of hard questions that need be asked about Section 230, which protects tech companies from being liable for content posted by their users (unless they post something illegal).
Instead, here is what Republican senators talked about. Mississippi's Roger Wicker complained about "selective censorship" of conservatives. Several talked about so-called shadowbans. John Thune of South Dakota, in a bizarre attempt to disprove claims Republicans were working the refs by pressuring tech companies not to limit the reach of right-wing misinformation, asked each CEO, "Are you the ref?"
Ted Cruz screamed about the New York Post, at one point accusing Twitter of "working as a Democratic super PAC." Utah's Mike Lee repeatedly accused Twitter and Facebook of banning more posts from conservatives than progressives. (That might be because right-wing websites and politicians are spreading misinformation about — to cite a few recent examples — COVID-19 and mail-in voting, and their progressive counterparts are not.)
Tennessee's Marsha Blackburn (sitting in front of copies of her book, on sale now!) asked Dorsey repeatedly why he was censoring the president. Dorsey replied, "We have not censored the president."
It doesn't matter that Dorsey was telling the truth. The senators got their viral moments. They will spread on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, ironically disproving the senators' claims that they are being censored on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
Their goal has always been to put pressure on tech CEOs to let right-wing misinformation run rampant. And to make false equivalencies between the dangerous lies of Donald Trump and Breitbart, and the statements of Joe Biden and the reporting of respected newsrooms.
One party is trying to suppress the vote with lies about voter fraud. One party backs a president who is the single largest driver of coronavirus misinformation on the internet. The other party does neither. That's why only one party is being hit with warning labels and fact-checks. But the GOP is happy to claim otherwise, and watch their message spread freely online.
TopicsFacebookGoogleTwitter
(责任编辑：探索)
Teacher absolutely nails it with new homework policy
Colossal Western fires look ever more menacing, viewed from spaceTwitter to investigate apparent racial bias in photo previewsMicrosoft Surface Duo review: Is this the future of smartphones?Watch MTV's Video Music Awards 2016 livestreamMore than half of women in advertising have faced sexual harassment, report says
If you are a woman in advertising, chances are you've faced workplace sexual harassment at one point
...[详细]Disney+ launches new GroupWatch feature for you and your friends
The weather's getting colder, the pandemic isn't going anywhere, and you still need a way to watch s
...[详细]Amazon quietly announces major expansion to neighborhood surveillance networks
Blink and you've missed it. Amazon, the powerhouse behind the Ring security camera network, is comin
...[详细]The livestreaming boom isn't slowing down anytime soon
Mashable's seriesTech in 2025explores how the challenges of today will dramatically change the near
...[详细]This app is giving streaming TV news a second try
Watchup, the once-buzzy news video streaming service, is trying its hand again at the news game with
...[详细]Hulu's 'Woke' is the bold, irreverent comedy you need: Review
Hulu's Woke, starring Lamorne Morris, starts with a simple introduction: "Inspired by one experience
...[详细]What your favorite 'Fall Guys' Season 1 level says about you
Hold onto your six-foot, perfectly smooth, white, crack-less bottoms. There are just 9 days left in
...[详细]Pinterest adds to ban on promotion of culturally insensitive costumes
There's no doubt Halloween will look different this year — but maybe not only for the reason y
...[详细]You will love/hate Cards Against Humanity's new fortune cookies
If you've ever ordered Cards Against Humanity from the delightfully corrupt board game's website, yo
...[详细]First look at Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher in 'The Crown'
Gillian Anderson's not for turning. And now we've got the photographic evidence to prove it. Netflix
...[详细]Pokémon Go is so big that it has its own VR porn parody now
Elon Musk: Tesla Battery Day tech won't be mass produced until 2022