Congress Frustrated By Social Media Bosses_clean

Members of Congress faced off with the CEOs of Facebook, Google and Twitter on Capitol Hill in a hearing about misinformation. The focus of the hearing was Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the legal shield that protects platforms from liability for their users’ posts and allows them to moderate content as they see fit. That prospect worries many tech advocates, including groups that are often critical of the major platforms. They fear that limitations of Section 230 protections will harm the smallest players by making it more difficult to fight lawsuits, while well-resourced tech companies will be able to foot the bill.   Republicans repeatedly hit on a theme of how social media platforms can impact children, possibly giving insight into their strategy for reform. Several other senators talked about the mental health implications of social media on kids and how their safety could be jeopardized on the platforms. There were other, more divisive issues as well. Some Republicans resurfaced allegations that the platforms systematically censor conservative voices, which the CEOs have all denied, and Democrats tried to assess the platforms’ roles in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.