Democrats Call GOP Bias Claims False, as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube Testify

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., lambasted Google for using information from Wikipedia. He cited a June story in which a Google search result linked the California Republican Party to “Nazism” based on manipulated information from Wikipedia. “When you absorb the content, aren’t you absorbing the responsibility?” Issa asked YouTube Global Head-Public Policy and Government Relations Juniper Downs. “In the case of Wikipedia, clearly you are not scrubbing the content.” Downs agreed Google was “vandalized” and apologized to the California Republican Party.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., in the minority’s opening statement, said the GOP wrongfully focused on an “entirely imaginary narrative.” Ranking member Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., moved that the committee convene an executive session to discuss evidence about the special counsel’s indictment and Trump’s “apparent submission to the Russian government” during his summit Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki. The motion was denied 10-12. Nadler followed up with questioning in which all three witnesses said their platforms removed Russian-linked accounts and content related to election interference.

Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., said that since the committee’s initial hearing on the topic (see 1804260055), the platforms made efforts to improve transparency, but content is reportedly “unfairly restricted.” Facebook blocked a post with text from the Declaration of Independence, for example, he said: “If Thomas Jefferson had written the Declaration of Independence on Facebook, that document would have never seen the light of day.” Goodlatte noted Facebook apologized and restored the post. Platforms can do better to explain how and why they filter content, he said.

Head-Global Policy Management Monika Bickert said Facebook is committed to “implementing standards to ensure fair and transparent processes for removing content that doesn’t belong on Facebook,” and is “at the forefront of new and challenging legal and policy questions.” It's consulting former Sen. John Kyl, R-Ariz., civil rights leader Laura Murphy and more than 100 groups “across the political spectrum,” she said. Downs said YouTube's “giving preference to content of one political ideology over another would fundamentally conflict with our goal of providing services that work for everyone.”

Twitter Senior Strategist-Public Policy Nick Pickles noted all senators, governors and nearly every U.S. representative have official Twitter accounts. “We do not believe that censorship will solve political or societal challenges or that removing certain content could resolve disagreements or address prejudices,” he said.

Bickert said Facebook explores what content engages users the most. She said algorithms written by humans are based on giving the most relevant content to users. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, asked why Gateway Pundit founder Jim Hoft told the committee that between 2016 and 2018, his Facebook traffic was cut 54 percent. Bickert said that generally, algorithms are altered frequently, which can affect a person’s reach. King said the conservative social media duo of Lynnette Hardaway and Rochelle Richardson, known as Diamond and Silk and who testified at the initial hearing, also described a decline in traffic after algorithm changes.

Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., claimed there's zero evidence of systemic bias on social media platforms. Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., called the hearings “dumb,” arguing these private entities have no obligation to drive traffic for any particular group.

​​​​​​​Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, repeatedly pressed witnesses for details on other foreign actors who have manipulated the social media platforms, possibly China or North Korea. All witnesses said they have evidence of other countries posting malicious content.