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Live updates: Facebook, Google, Twitter CEOs face House grilling

25 March 2021
 Dan Ackermann

Lawmakers from both parties attacked online platforms for causing offline harm to children, public health and democracy at a House hearing with the CEOs of Facebook, Google and Twitter testifying virtually on Thursday.

The big picture: The hearing is focused on social media's role in spreading misinformation and extremism, with the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and false information about the pandemic top of mind for Democratic lawmakers who have pledged to pursue legislation.

Where it stands: Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), chair of the House Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, said misinformation about the pandemic and the 2020 election led to lives being lost.

  • "The witnesses here today have demonstrated time and time again that self-regulation has not work," Schakowsky said. "They must be held accountable for allowing disinformation and misinformation to spread."

Meanwhile, Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis, the ranking Republican on the consumer protection subcommittee, said he's heard from constituents about online bullying and said the committee can come together to force changes on the platforms.

  • "What I do want to hear is what you will do to bring our country back from the fringes and stop the poisonous practices that drive depression, isolation, and suicide," Bilirakis said. "Our kids are being lost, while you say you will try to better, as we've heard countless times already."

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), the ranking Republican on the House Energy & Commerce Committee, told the CEOs their platforms are her "biggest fear" as a parent.

  • "Do you know what has convinced me Big Tech is a destructive force? It’s how you’ve abused your power to manipulate and harm our children," Rodgers said.

What they're saying: In written testimony, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg suggested legislation could require online platforms to have systems in place for identifying and removing unlawful content in order to receive key liability protection.

  • Google CEO Sundar Pichai instead focused on improving transparency for how content moderation decisions are made, while Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey focused his written testimony on algorithmic choice.

This story is developing. Check back for more hearing updates.

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.