The Senate Judiciary Committee recently issued bipartisan subpoenas to the CEOs of Discord, Snap, and X. The companies are expected to testify at a hearing in December, focusing on child protection online. Committee Chairman Dick Durbin and Sen. Lindsey Graham announced that they had issued the subpoenas to Jason Citron, Evan Spiegel, and Linda Yaccarino after repeated refusals to appear during negotiations.
The senators stated that “Big Tech’s failure to police itself at the expense of our kids cannot go unanswered,” referring to the Dec. 6 hearing, which will address child sexual exploitation online.
The committee noted that Discord and X refused to accept service of the subpoenas, prompting the U.S. Marshals Service to personally subpoena the CEOs. In response, all three companies agreed to work with the committee, but none committed to the Dec. 6 hearing.
Snap’s CEO has agreed to testify, with coordinates ongoing for potential dates. Discord emphasized its commitment to the safety of its users, especially young people, stating that they have been actively engaging with the committee.
Wifredo Fernandez, the head of U.S. and Canada government affairs at X, affirmed that the company has been working in good faith to participate, as safety remains their top priority.
The committee is in discussions with Meta and TikTok and expects their CEOs, Mark Zuckerberg and Shou Zi Chew, to testify voluntarily.
Amidst criticism, social media companies have faced lawsuits and public scrutiny over the harms their platforms cause to children and teenagers. Most recently, Meta was sued by 41 states and Washington, D.C., for contributing to the youth mental health crisis.
(Source: Associated Press)
