Nadler Wants Additional Hearings on Section 230, Tech Issues

Additional hearings are needed to examine questions about Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and other tech issues, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., told us. Members of both parties blamed each other for not properly addressing hate- and race-related activity, at a hearing earlier Tuesday.

Civil rights groups told the committee hate-related violence is getting worse, while witnesses from Facebook and Google described content moderation approaches. House Intellectual Property Subcommittee Chairman Hank Johnson, D-Ga., told us later he’s exploring legislation to hold social media manipulators accountable.

“It sounds like they’re trying to get on top of it,” Nadler told us. “This is just the beginning. We’re going to need further hearings on that obviously.” He noted this hearing, which focused heavily on race relations, veered away from tech specifically.

Testimony from Facebook and Google was acceptable, Johnson said, calling content moderation a game of “whack a mole” that can never be fully accounted for. He’s pursuing legislation that would penalize fraudulent behavior for political ends like Russia’s alleged manipulation of the 2016 election. “It’s something that needs to happen,” he said. “The development of technology and the laws that promote good conduct among human beings have not kept up.”

Ranking member Doug Collins, R-Ga., questioned whether Democrats held the hearing to suggest Republicans “are hateful, dishonest and somehow connected” to racists. He denied such an insinuation, citing the GOP’s action in January against Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa. He lost some House clout after remarks some say as biased. Meanwhile, Collins criticized Democrats for not directly condemning Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., in March.

Republicans failed to properly address hate issues when they controlled the House, Nadler said in opening remarks. He cited lack of hearings after hate-related murders in Charlottesville and Pittsburgh and claimed federal agencies haven’t taken domestic terrorism as seriously as international threats. He cited a 2017 GAO report that radical right-wing groups are responsible for 73 percent of hate-related attacks since Sept. 11, 2001.

Anyone who traffics in hate is wrong, Collins said. He asked Google and Facebook representatives how the companies are removing content quicker, after the alleged New Zealand shooter live streamed his violent attack on Facebook.

Facebook has a three-pronged approach, Public Policy Director Neil Potts said, describing a “forceful response” to the New Zealand attack. It involved products and artificial intelligence, about 30,000 safety staff, and partnerships with civilians, nonprofits, academia, government and industry.

Google uses a combination of humans and artificial intelligence, said Public Policy and Government Relations Counsel Alexandria Walden. Content that falls into a “gray area” is addressed through demonetization and blocking of comments and recommendations, she said.

Turning Point USA Communications Director Candace Owens, whom Republicans invited to testify, claimed Democrats were using hate speech to seize 2020 election momentum. Democrats blame social media because if it didn’t exist, neither would voices like hers or President Donald Trump’s, Owens said.