Washington, Feb 19 (Agency) The heads of Google, Facebook and Twitter will testify in Congress on the issue of misinformation next month, the US House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee said in a statement. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg together with Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey will appear before lawmakers at the Energy and Commerce Committee on March 25, the statement said.
“Whether it be falsehoods about the COVID-19 vaccine or debunked claims of election fraud, these online platforms have allowed misinformation to spread, intensifying national crises with real-life, grim consequences for public health and safety,” committee Chairman Frank Pallone said on Thursday. The lawmakers called on the tech giants to acknowledge their role in elevating misinformation to online audiences. “Industry self-regulation has failed. We must begin the work of changing incentives driving social media companies to allow and even promote misinformation and disinformation,” the statement said.