Senate Republicans appear to be continuing to put the pressure on Big Tech during the lame duck session, with a couple of the biggest names in tech testifying this week.
The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a hearing for Tuesday (Nov. 17) on "Breaking the News: Censorship, Suppression, and the 2020 Election."
Related: Minority Report Finds Big Tech Threatens Local News
Scheduled to testify, according to the committee, are Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Those are the same two executives who testified before the Senate Commerce Committee in advance of the election, talking about, among other things, how they would flag misinformation. Twitter has been particularly active, flagging multiple tweets by President Trump related to the election and his allegations, to date unsubstantiated, of widespread fraud.
“Because of protections provided by federal law, digital services can take action against a variety of objectionable online behaviors, including everything from harassment, to spam and disinformation to promoting self-harm," said Computer & Communications Industry Association president Matt Schruers of the upcoming hearing. "These protections are critical to services that allow people to connect with family and engage in economic activity online, particularly during a pandemic. If consumers disagree with moderation decisions that a particular service makes, there are a wealth of competitors to choose from.”
