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Google , Facebook, and Twitter CEOs could face a Senate panel call for proposals.
The Senate Trade Committee requested the CEOs of Google , Facebook and Twitter to appear on October 1 for their testimony, according to a new Politico report. It is an exceptionally tight timetable for such a high-profile panel, but representatives have suggested that they will issue subpoenas if the CEOs do not agree to appear at the end of the day on Thursday.
It is also conceivable that other members of the committee will object to the subpoenas, or that CEOs will find some other way to escape the summons. Google, Facebook and Twitter did not respond immediately to requests for comments.
The hearing is likely to concentrate on legislation to change Section 230, the pivotal rule on online content moderation practices. A hearing on the PACT Act — an ostensible compromise between prejudice hawks and more measured reformers — was held in July by the subcommittee, although the findings of the debate were inconclusive.
The Senate Trade Committee conducted a series of inquiries into perceived anti-conservative bias on Facebook and challenged Mark Zuckerberg directly after the Cambridge Analytica fiasco. More recent hearings on potentially anti-competitive actions by tech giants have been held by the Judiciary Committees, chairing anti-trust concerns.
Potential amendments to Section 230 have become a lively topic for Congress as the election approaches, and more candidates run moderation programs. Also on Thursday, Senator Josh Hawley introduced a new bill that would strip the 230-protected sites if they were found not to act in good faith.
It is time to take a fresh look at the law and explain the ambiguous 'good faith' requirement for technology firms to obtain legal protection, said Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), co-sponsor of the bill.
