On March 25, big tech executives Jack Dorsey, Sundar Pichai and Mark Zuckerberg will testify before a US House panel regarding mis- and disinformation. The hearing was convened jointly by the Communications and Technology Subcommittee and the Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee as part of a continued effort to hold platforms accountable for “fomenting and elevating blatantly false information.”
In a statement issued about the hearing, the committee chairs noted digital platforms’ role in “intensifying national crises with real-life, grim consequences for public health and safety.” This is the first testimony that the executives will offer following the January 6 riots at the US Capitol, which prompted many platforms (including Twitter, YouTube and Facebook) to deplatform then-president Donald Trump.
In advance of the hearing, we’ve compiled a list of some of CIGI’s recent analyses and discussion on themes that are likely to be raised on March 25.
Read
- The Dangerous Inconsistencies of Digital Platform Policies
- Platform Capitalism, Empire and Authoritarianism: Is There a Way Out?
- Does Deplatforming Trump Set a New Precedent for Content Moderation?
- Five Things Platforms Can Do Today to Fight Disinformation
- How “Fake News” Regulations Can Serve Political Incumbents
- How a Public Health Approach Could Help Curb the Infodemic
- The Last Gasp of the Internet Hegemon
Listen
- Joan Donovan on How Platforms Enabled the Capitol Hill Riot
- Cory Doctorow on the True Dangers of Surveillance Capitalism
- Damian Collins on Joining Forces to Regulate Big Tech
