Twitter, Google CEOs defend key internet law before U.S. Senate panel

The chief executives of Twitter and Google defended a law protecting internet companies before a Senate panel on Wednesday, a topic that has split U.S. lawmakers on ways to hold Big Tech accountable for how they moderate content on their platforms.

Twitter Inc’s Jack Dorsey and Google’s Sundar Pichai were probed about how they monitor and moderate political content online.

They told the committee chaired by Republican Senator Roger Wicker that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act - which protects companies from liability over content posted by users - is crucial to free expression on the internet.

Twitter’s Dorsey warned the committee that eroding the foundation of Section 230 could significantly hurt how people communicate online. Pichai said the company operates without political bias and that doing otherwise would be against its business interests.

The committee was unable to establish contact with Facebook Inc’s Mark Zuckerberg and declared a short recess. He is expected to say he supports changing the law but also warned that tech platforms are likely to censor more to avoid legal risks if Section 230 is repealed. Facebook was not immediately available for comment.

In his opening remarks, Wicker said that the liability shield has protected companies from “potentially ruinous lawsuits”.

“But it has also given these internet platforms the ability to control, stifle, and even censor content in whatever manner meets their respective standards. The time has come for that free pass to end,” he said.