Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) is pressing Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on whether the social media platform contributed to the extremism that led to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
“Will you admit today that Facebook groups, in particular, played a role in fomenting the extremism that we saw and that led to the Capitol siege,” Schakowsky asked on Thursday.
Zuckerberg replied, “Certainly there was content on our services and, from that perspective, I think that there’s further work that we need to do to make our services and moderation more effective.”
Watch the exchange below:
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) presses Facebook’s Mark Zuckeberg to “admit” that Facebook played a role in fomenting extremism that led to the Capitol attack.
— The Recount (@therecount) March 25, 2021
He admits the company has “further work” to do on moderation. pic.twitter.com/iBOfOruMs6
Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) also asked Zuckerberg, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, and Google parent Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai whether their platforms are responsible in one way or another for disseminating misinformation that led to the attack.
Zuckerberg attempted to explain before Doyle interrupted him asking him for just a yes or no answer.
Pichai replied, “We always feel a deep sense of responsibility but I think we worked hard. This election effort was one of our most substantive efforts.”
After being told it was just a yes or no question, Pichai replied, “It’s a complex question.”
Dorsey was the only CEO to say, “Yes.” He then explained, “You also have to take into consideration a broader ecosystem. It’s not just about the technology platforms we use.”
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) also slammed the chief executives for failing to “meaningfully change after your platform has played a role in fomenting insurrection and abetting the spread of the virus and trampling American civil liberties.”
He added, “Your business model itself has become the problem and the time for self-regulation is over. It’s time we legislate to hold you accountable.”
Twitter permanently banned President Donald Trump following the insurrection. Facebook extended the suspension of the former president’s account indefinitely. YouTube’s CEO, Susan Wojcicki, said Trump’s account will be restored when the risk of violence decreases.