Four takeaways from a heated interview with a technology CEO

Senators on Wednesday slammed the CEOs of Meta, TikTok, Snap, Discord and X during a heated hearing on the harm done to teens and children online.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew spoke from a panel primarily focused on how teens and children can be harmed through Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. faced most of the pressure.

But each CEO was interrogated for about four-and-a-half hours, questioning what policies they have in place to reduce the risk of online sexual exploitation and the spread of harmful content that promotes suicide, self-harm and eating disorders. faced.

Advocates for parents and families gathered at the packed hearing, holding up photos of victims and pressuring senators as well as companies to add regulations to hold companies accountable.

Zuckerberg faces the brunt of criticism

Mr. Zuckerberg has come under fire from senators on both sides of the aisle over the risks the company, which owns Facebook and Instagram, poses to children online.

In one of the most heated exchanges of the day, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) accused a whistleblower who found that Instagram was having a negative impact on teens, especially teenage girls. He repeatedly asked Zuckerberg about the meta-internal investigation revealed by Francis Haugen.

Mr. Zuckerberg said characterizations of the report were wrong, but Mr. Hawley continued to press him, pressuring him to apologize to parent advocates at a public hearing.

Mr. Zuckerberg turned his back on the Senate committee and faced an audience filled with parents holding photos of their children who say they have been victimized by social media.

“I'm sorry for everything you've been through. No one should have to go through what your families have suffered, and that's why we've invested so much and your families have suffered. “We will continue to work across the industry to ensure that no one experiences what we have experienced,” he said.

Mr. Mehta is no stranger to high-profile seats in the Senate, and Mr. Zuckerberg spent much of the hearing responding to some of the past testimony of Mehta executives. The senators argued the company's testimony was misleading, citing what they learned through whistleblowing and additional internal documents obtained through a lawsuit by the state attorney general.

Mr. Zuckerberg has faced consistent pressure over the impact of Meta's platform on teen mental health and how the company seeks to appeal to younger users.

“The existing body of scientific research shows no coincidental link between social media use and poor mental health among young people,” Zuckerberg said in his opening statement.

As Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) closed the hearing, he told Zuckerberg, “I need some clarification on my opening statement about mental health.”

“Because I don't think it makes sense,” he added.

“I don't think there's a parent in this room whose child has gone through an emotional experience like this who can't tell you or me that they've been changed right before our eyes,” he added.

TikTok faces heated battle over relationship with China

Mr. Chu faced increasing opposition from lawmakers over his company's ties to China. The video-based social media app, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, has previously faced intense bipartisan scrutiny due to data privacy and national security concerns.

TikTok developed Project Texas, an effort to effectively cut off U.S. user data from within the company, to allay concerns from lawmakers.

However, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Project Texas employees may be directed to share data with other parts of the company or with ByteDance.

When asked about the report by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mr. Chu disputed that explanation and suggested that there were “a lot of inaccuracies in the article.”

He also stressed that TikTok has never shared user data with the Chinese government.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) later questioned Chu's claims.

“Now, you just said… 'We have not requested any data from the Chinese government and we have never provided it,'” Cruz said. “I tell you—and I [said] This is when you and I met in my office last week, and I don't believe you. And let me tell you, neither do the American people. ”

Hawley also pointed to an article in the Journal that claimed the app's protections were insufficient.

“It's not protected. That's the problem, Mr. Chu. It's not protected at all,” Hawley said. “This is subject to inspection and review by the Chinese Communist Party.”

“Heaven knows I have a problem with everyone here, but your app, unlike any other, is subject to control and inspection by a foreign hostile government, and they are “We are actively trying to track down the information and whereabouts of all Americans that we obtain,” he added.

“For the safety of this country, your app should be banned in the United States.”

Senators don't pull any punches on CEOs.

Senators aggressively questioned technology company CEOs. While much of the anger was directed at questioning Meta and TikTok, lawmakers also took to questioning CEOs about their companies' policies.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R.C.) and Sen. Hawley both accused Mr. Zuckerberg of running a product that is “killing people.”

“Mr. Zuckerberg, you and the companies before us, I know you don't mean it like that, but you have blood on your hands,” Graham said, to cheers from the hearing. Ta.

Hawley urged Zuckerberg to apologize to his parents and aggressively questioned Meta about the wealth he had amassed for “the family sitting in the background.”

“Your job is to be accountable for what your company does,” Hawley added. “You've made billions of dollars for the people sitting in the back here. You're not doing anything to help them. You're not doing anything to compensate them. . You haven't done anything to fix it. You could and should do something today. You should, Mr. Zuckerberg.”

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) also criticized Zuckerberg for internal communications that showed Meta's CEO referring to the company's younger users by lifetime value.

“Do you think a life is worth only $270?” Blackburn added. I know you are a father. I'm a mother. I'm a grandma. And how could you have such thoughts? That's amazing to me. ”

Schumer pressured to call for vote About technology bills

Pressure is now mounting on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York to vote on a bill aimed at reducing harm to young people that will be debated Wednesday.

Last year, the Judiciary Committee introduced five bills aimed at stopping online child exploitation. These include the STOP CSAM Act, which would amend Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act to allow victims of child sexual abuse to sue technology companies for content posted by third parties. party.

The bill advanced with unanimous support, highlighting its bipartisan stance.

“[Parents] They cannot deal with this problem alone. They expect the industry to act responsibly, just as much as they expect us to do,” Durbin said.

“Lead out with a determination to keep the spotlight on us to do something, not just hold hearings and gather strong advocates for change to get something done. “No excuses, no excuses. We have to bring this to a vote…that's the moment of reckoning,” he added.

In addition to the bill introduced in the Judiciary Committee, the Senate Commerce Committee has introduced two other bills. Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). Those two bills passed out of committee with bipartisan support last year and last Congress, but Schumer has not brought either to a vote in the Senate.

A spokesperson for Schumer said in a statement that children's online safety is a “priority” for him.

“As we work to pass additional legislation and keep the government funded in the coming weeks, Leader Schumer will continue to work with the sponsors of the Online Safety Act to secure the support they need,” the spokesperson said. Stated.