Dorsey and Pichai urged caution in making any
changes. “Undermining Section 230 will result in
far more removal of online speech and impose
severe limitations on our collective ability to
address harmful content and protect people
online,” Dorsey said.
Pichai appealed to lawmakers “to be very
thoughtful about any changes to Section
230 and to be very aware of the consequences
those changes might have on businesses
and consumers.”
The session lacked the in-person drama of
star-witness proceedings before the
coronavirus. The hearing room was nearly
empty except for Wicker and a few colleagues,
but their questioning was sharp as tempers
flared among members.
“Twitter’s conduct has by far been the most
egregious,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told
Dorsey. Cruz cited Twitter’s limitations on
the newspaper story as part of “a pattern of
censorship and silencing Americans with
whom Twitter disagrees.”
Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, went after
Republicans, saying the hearing was a “sham.”
“This is bullying,” Schatz told the CEOs. “Do not
let U.S. senators bully you into carrying the
water” for politicians seeking to discredit their
opponents. With their questions, Schatz said,
the Republicans “are trying to bully the heads
of private companies into making a hit job” on
political leaders
Trump earlier this year signed an executive order
challenging the protections from lawsuits under
the 1996 telecommunications law.Image: Greg Nash