Justice Department Cites Treatment of Hunter Biden Articles in Call to Change Law Protecting Online Platforms

The Justice Department said it was concerned that Facebook and Twitter restricted access to recent New York Post stories about the son of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, telling lawmakers the department supported bipartisan interest in changing a law providing legal protections to online platforms. The department made the comments in a letter to Capitol Hill leaders ahead of a high-profile Senate hearing in which Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey will testify. The letter, signed by Stephen Boyd, the assistant attorney general for legislative affairs, said online platforms “hold tremendous power over information” and must “be honest and transparent with users about how they use that power. And when they are not, it is critical that they can be held accountable.” The letter didn’t mention Facebook, Twitter or the Biden family by name, but suggested the department didn’t believe such conduct is covered under the legal protections afforded online platforms and signaled a willingness to get involved in future litigation over the issue.