Social media giants on defense
GOP members on House panel accuse tech firms of bias
Facebook, Google and Twitter are accused of censoring conservative news.
Facebook, Google and Twitter on Tuesday sought to defend themselves against accusations from Republican lawmakers who say the tech giants censor conservative news and views during a congressional hearing that devolved into a political sniping match.
Lawmakers had convened the nearly threehour session before the House Judiciary Committee to explore the “filtering” practices of major social media companies, where a mix of human reviewers and powerful yet secret algorithms review online content — a process meant to stifle offensive speech that even tech giants admit isn’t perfect.
But GOP lawmakers led by the panel’s chairman, Virginia Rep. Bob Goodlatte, ultimately focused much of their efforts on highlighting what they perceive as bias against those on the political right — a charge that the tech companies repeatedly deny. Texas Rep. Lamar Smith, for example, accused Google of censoring the word “Jesus” in some search results. (He didn’t explain or give the company a chance to respond.) Iowa Rep. Steve King, meanwhile, asked Facebook why controversial conspiracy site Gateway Pundit had seen a traffic drop in recent months. (Facebook declined to address specific pages but said it’s always tinkering with the News Feed to show users the content they want.)
The line of questioning enraged committee Democrats, including Maryland
Rep. Jamie Raskin, who rebuked Republicans for pushing an “imaginary narrative” of censorship. California Rep. Ted Lieu later called it a “dumb hearing.”
Many in the party also demanded that Congress should focus its time on more pressing issues, including Russia’s efforts to spread disinformation online. For some, that offered an opportunity to assail President Donald Trump.
In response, though, tech companies once again sought to stress their neutrality. “Our success as a company depends on making Twitter a safe space for free expression,” said Nick Pickles, a policy aide who testified on behalf of Twitter.
“We have a natural and long-term incentive to make sure our products work for users of all viewpoints,” said Downs, who oversees policy issues for Google-owned YouTube.
The hearing Tuesday exposed lingering frustrations among Democrats and Republicans alike with tech giants and the way they police their platforms — and their continued inability to address even shared concerns, like the spread of misinformation online.
It was the committee’s second inquiry into perceived conservative bias, after a contentious April session — riddled with falsehoods— featuring pro-Trump bloggers Diamond and Silk.
For years, conservatives have seized on high-profile errors at major tech companies to advance the argument that they are censored online. Google, for example, drew Republicans’ ire earlier this year after search results for the California GOP briefly returned an answer from Wikipedia that linked the party to Nazis.
Nevertheless, tech giants have taken the accusations seriously and adapted their business practices.
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, for one, has met privately with prominent conservatives to assuage their concerns about bias, The Washington Post previously reported. Facebook has hired former Sen. Jon Kyl to review its practices.
Still, leading Democratic members of the House Judiciary Committee contended Tuesday that there is no censorship of conservatives in the first place.
“This is such an interesting hearing, I think, motivated by a sense of persecution on the part of Republicans and conservatives that somehow (feel) they’re being unfairly treated,” lamented Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif.