Tech giants pressed in House hearing on policing extremist content

Facebook, Twitter, and Google defended their efforts to combat extremist content and misinformation online before the House Homeland Security Committee on June 26, but lawmakers walked away complaining that they aren’t satisfied with the tech giants’ efforts. “They’re going to have to do more,” said Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS), noting that he was dissatisfied with answers on a range of issues. Rep Max Rose (D-NY) offered some of the sharpest criticism, saying the tech firms are offering “technocratic” explanations while “people are being killed.” 

The hearing veered off track as the hours ticked on, with lawmakers raising concerns about a range of questionable content, including anti-vaccine misinformation and "deep fakes," or videos that have been altered to make it appear that people are saying things they never said. Most GOP lawmakers on the committee brought up concerns that the companies are biased against conservatives, a claim that the representatives flatly denied. And the conversation returned multiple times to the issue of freedom of speech and whether the companies should censor voices on their platforms.