WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) spoke at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on “Mass Violence, Extremism, and Digital Responsibility”. She discussed social media algorithms and proposals to control content in a way that balances the need to protect free speech and police extreme content online. In her questioning, she urged Facebook officials to take stronger steps to maintain objectivity in patrolling its platform.

“Social media companies are, in a sense, open public forums,” said Senator Blackburn. “Part of your responsibility in this vein is to have an objective cop on the beat…. What has unfortunately happened many times is you don’t get an objective view, you don’t get a consistent view, you get a subjective view. This is problematic and it leads to confusion by the public that is using the virtual space for entertainment, their transactional life, for obtaining their news.”

To view the Senator’s full remarks, click below or HERE.

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Last week, Senator Blackburn led the Senate Judiciary Committee’s second Tech Task Force meeting, which featured panelists from Airbnb and Lyft.