Members of the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday pushed executives from Google, Facebook and Twitter about purported political biases on their platforms — and used conspiracy theories from far-right websites to do so.
The hearing came a day after President Donald Trump was widely criticized for contradicting the U.S. intelligence community — and mentioning some conspiracies — at a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki.
The hearing Tuesday highlights an ongoing battle between left-and right-leaning media figures and politicians over the impact big tech companies have on the information that Americans see. Facebook in particular has come under fire from conservatives for its perceived bias, and from liberals who claim the social network tips the scales toward conservatives in order to placate their claims.
Some of the committee members criticizing the social media companies asked about websites or stories that have been removed or limited in their reach, despite being based on unproven conspiracy theories or riddled with incorrect information.
Source: House Republicans Float Online Conspiracy Theories in Hearing about Social Media ‘Censorship’