Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff issued a letter to major social media executives this week demanding they reveal how they will combat ‘misinformation’ and ‘disinformation’ in the 2024 election.
The letter, co-signed by seven other members of Congress, accuses social media platforms such as X, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok of failing to properly prepare for malicious info-hazards in November.
‘We write to your platforms as concerned Members of Congress, seeking further information about your preparation for and response to the spread of misinformation and disinformation, or the potential incitement of violence on your platforms leading up to the 2024 elections,’ the California congressman wrote. ‘We have already seen how posts with disinformation have spread on the major social media platforms both in the United States and across the globe during election cycles.’
The letter continued, ‘We continue to be concerned with each of your companies’ ability to react efficiently and effectively to misinformation and disinformation, or to any potential incitement of violence occurring on your platforms.’
In the letter, the signers accused social platforms Meta, Discord, and Snap specifically of ‘[reducing] their elections team dramatically’ following the 2022 elections.
X, Meta, and TikTok were singled out and scolded for having ‘not increased their transparency for external groups who can aid in monitoring election information.’
READ THE FULL LETTER — APP USERS CLICK HERE
‘While the impetus of this letter is the 2024 election, political and election-related mis- and disinformation persists even between elections, so we are also urging your companies to commit to taking action on election and political misinformation year-round, not just in the leadup to elections.’
A series of specific questions are offered at the end of the letter, including ‘Will your company be changing your election integrity policies between now and the 2024 U.S. general election?’ and ‘How will your company be more transparent in enforcement of its community guidelines regarding election integrity and transparent with the public about actions it has taken?’
‘Will your company commit to sharing data and metrics on the effectiveness of your enforcement systems in relation to US elections and political speech?’ the Democratic congress members asked. ‘How will your company address mis- and disinformation made by political actors or verified accounts, and how will they be treated differently, if at all, compared to ordinary users?’
The letter was co-signed by Democratic Representatives Julia Brownley of California, Andre Carson of Indiana, Dan Goldman of New York, Robert Garcia of California, Raúl M. Grijalva of Arizona, Hank Johnson of Georgia and Doris Matsui of California.
It was addressed to the following executives: Mark Zuckerberg, Meta; Linda Yaccarino, X; Shou Zi Chew, TikTok; Sundar Pichai, Google; Adam Mosseri, Instagram; Evan Spiegel, Snap; Neal Mohan, YouTube; Satya Nadella, Microsoft.