Civic Register
| 11.1.17

Facebook, Google, and Twitter Testify Before Congress

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What’s the story?

Twitter, Facebook, and Google appeared before Congress on Tuesday for the first of three public hearings about how Russia used the social media platforms to spread misinformation during last year’s presidential election.

Here are some of the highlights of their testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee:

  • The panel’s GOP chairman, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said Congress finds social media "invaluable to communicating with our constituents and getting our message out" but that it can “also be used to undermine democracy and put our nation at risk.” Political ads, he said, had been used to instigate social and political unrest. “Like we don’t have enough to fight about,” Graham quipped.

  • Here’s who represented the tech giants: Facebook General Counsel Colin Stretch, Twitter Acting General Counsel Sean Edgett, and Google Law Enforcement and Information Security Director Richard Salgado. (Hyperlinks above are to each company’s opening statement).

  • During the opening remarks, Facebook confirmed previous reporting that Kremlin-sponsored posts reached as many as 126 million Americans over two years. Twitter found 2,752 accounts controlled by Russians, and that over 36,000 Russians bots tweeted 1.4 million times during the election. Google discovered 1,108 videos with 43 hours of content.

  • Facebook explained how the ads targeted users: 75 percent were targeted to U.S. users on the whole, with the remaining 25 percent targeted users in specific states To combat these ads, Facebook is testing a new transparency tool that will allow people to see who bought the ads they’re viewing. It also plans to double the team involved in removing objectionable content to 20,000 employees. Twitter, meanwhile, has banned Russian media organization RT, and said it’s increasing investments in its Trust and Safety team.

  • Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) accused the social media companies of having a liberal bias. He cited studies and examples, including one that was personal: a study of how Google showed users searching for Democrats more positive stories than those searching for Republicans — including Cruz himself. "The prospect of Silicon Valley companies actively censoring speech, or the news content, is troubling to anyone who cares about a democratic process with a robust First Amendment," Cruz said.

  • Facebook, Google, and Twitter were asked if they’d support the Honest Ads Act, a Senate bill that would require the tech companies to create a public database of political ads that would, as summarized by The Washington Post, "include the ad, a description of the targeted audience, the number of views, when and how long it ran, and the price and contact information of the purchaser." None of the companies would commit to supporting the bill.

  • Some of the most tense exchanges occurred during the final thirty minutes of the hearing. Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) asked, "How does Facebook, which prides itself on being able to process billions of data points and instantly transform them into personal connections for its users, somehow not make the connection that electoral ads, paid for in rubles, were coming from Russia?" Stretch admitted Facebook should have had “a broader lens,” but said rejecting foreign currency wouldn’t solve the problem. “The reason I’m hesitating on foreign currency is it’s relatively easy for bad actors to switch currencies,” Stretch said. “So it’s a signal but not enough.”

  • Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) asked Facebook what many have wondered: "In an election where a total of about 115,000 votes would have changed the outcome, can you say that the false and misleading propaganda people saw on your Facebook didn’t have an impact on the election?" Facebook’s Stretch responded, “Senator, we’re not well positioned to judge why any one person or an entire electorate voted as it did.”

What do you think?

Google, Twitter, and Facebook will field two more rounds of questions. What would you like them to be asked? What questions do you still have? Would you like to see the Honest Ads Act passed? Hit Take Action, tell your reps, then share your thoughts below.

— Josh Herman

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(Photo Credit: alexsl/ iStockphoto)