Google in spotlight as CEO testifies on Capitol Hill

Speech, privacy among issues under political scrutiny.

WASHINGTON — Google chief executive Sundar Pichai asserted in his first-ever testimony to Congress that the tech giant operates “without political bias.” But the Tuesday hearing devolved into a partisan struggle reflecting differing viewpoints on how Silicon Valley has overstepped its power.

Republicans insisted the company suppresses conservative voices, an allega- tion they have made repeat- edly this year against Google as well as Facebook and Twitter. Democrats pledged tougher oversight of online hate and data privacy, issues that could move to the fore- front when they take control of the House next year.

As members of the parties alternated asking questions in five-minute chunks, the soft-spoken Pichai repeat- edly assured lawmakers that Google strives for polit- ical neutrality. He said the tech giant had worked to curb the spread of content that violates its rules, from white supremacist videos on YouTube to disinformation posted on its services by Russian agents.

Members of both parties pressed Pichai on the privacy implications of the company’s sweeping data-collection practices across a range of services, including Gmail, Google Search and the Android mobile oper- ating system. A day after Google revealed a new mishap jeopardized the data of about 52 million users of its soon-to-be deactivated social networking service, Pichai told lawmakers, “We always think there is more to do.”

Both Democrats and Republicans also warned Google about building a search engine that would work with China’s govern- ment-controlled Internet, as the company has consid- ered doing. In response, the Google leader said the com- pany would brief Congress before proceeding.

The hearing at the House Judiciary Committee caps a year-long inquiry by the panel into allegations that Google and its tech peers stifle conservatives online. Democrats have objected to the inquiry from the beginning, stressing their Republi- can colleagues had been playing politics. But the two par- ties still appeared to share broad suspicions about Google’s algorithms — and busi- ness practices.

GOP leader Kevin McCarthy, who helped orches- trate the hearing, opened with a rhetorical question: “Are America’s technology companies serving as instruments of freedom, or instru- ments of control?”

In response, frustrated Democrats led by Rep. Jerry Nadler called the premise of the hearing itself a “fantasy” and part of a “right-wing con- spiracy.” Nadler said lawmakers should have focused on the ways the internet has become a “new tool for those seeking to stoke racial and ethnic hatred. The presence of hateful conduct and content in these platforms has been made all the more alarming by the recent rise in hate-motivated violence.”

Republicans including Rep. Steve Chabot at one point charged that Google’s search algorithm is “in effect picking winners and losers,” and potentially even “affecting elections.”

Watching from the audience were Alex Jones, a conspiracy theorist banned from YouTube and other tech platforms for violating its policies against abuse, and Roger Stone, an ally of Jones and associate of President Trump who has emerged as a figure in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 campaign. Before testimony began, Jones held court outside the hearing room, shouting that Google had violated his rights.

Caught in the middle, Pichai stressed Google’s neutrality.

In the hearing, Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, held up his iPhone and asked sharply, “Does Google track my movement?” As Pichai attempted to answer, adding that he needed to know more about the Apple device’s settings before answering, Poe interrupted, saying, “It’s not a trick question. You know you make $100 million a year. You ought to be able to answer that question.”