House Judiciary Committee to Hold Hearing Examining Social Media Filtering Practices and their Effect on Free Speech

Washington, D.C. - On Thursday, April 26, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. the House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing to examine social media filtering and policing practices. This hearing will focus on what metrics social media platforms use to moderate content, how filtering decisions are made, and whether viewpoints have been silenced on some of the most popular and widely used platforms. Witnesses for next week's hearing are: Panel I:

• The Honorable Marsha Blackburn, 7th District of Tennessee, United States House of Representatives

Panel II:

• Facebook (invited)
• Google (invited)
• Twitter (invited)

Panel III:

• Diamond and Silk, Social Media Personalities
• Ms. Corynne McSherry, Legal Director, Electronic Frontier Foundation
• Mr. David Chavern, Chief Executive Officer, News Media Alliance

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) issued the following statement in advance of the hearing. Chairman Goodlatte: “The advent of social media has made it possible for people to connect across continents, explore vast amounts of information, and share meaningful dialogue with friends and strangers. However, this same technology can be used to suppress a particular viewpoint and manipulate public opinion. I look forward to hearing from a wide variety of experts at our hearing to discuss the free speech implications of social media filtering." This hearing will take place in 2141 Rayburn House Office Building and will be webcast live at judiciary.house.gov. Camera crews wishing to cover must be congressionally credentialed and RSVP with the House Radio-TV Gallery at (202) 225-5214.

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