US lawmakers, tech CEOs face off over disinformation

More than two months after the violent uprising at the US Capitol, angry lawmakers in the same building Thursday are asking social media top executives for answers about how they are clamping down on misinformation and harmful content leading to violence and other damaging impacts.

The leaders of Facebook, Google and Twitter sought to head off critics leading into the House of Representatives hearing, the latest in a series highlighting concerns over moderating content about elections, Covid-19 and the January 6 uprising.

The remote video hearing is the fourth for Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey since last July and the third for Google’s Sundar Pichai, who have been in the crosshairs of Democrats and Republicans alike.