The CEOs of leading social media companies have been issued subpoenas by the US Senate Judiciary Committee to testify at a hearing regarding online child sexual exploitation.
The hearing will focus on the measures taken by tech companies to protect children from potentially harmful and illegal content such as sexual abuse and exploitation. It is set to take place on December 6, 2023, and will seek answers from the social media chiefs on their “failures to protect children online”.
The Committee announced Monday it issued subpoenas to Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X (formerly known as Twitter); Evan Spiegel, CEO of Snap Inc. which owns Snapchat; and Jason Citron, CEO of Discord. The action was taken after a series of unsuccessful negotiations.
“After repeated refusals to appear during several weeks of negotiations, subpoenas have been issued,” the US senators said in a press statement. “In a remarkable departure from typical practice, Discord and X have further refused to cooperate by accepting service of the subpoenas on behalf of their CEOs, requiring the Committee to enlist the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service to personally serve the subpoenas.”
A copy of the summons issued to each CEO can be viewed here.
The testimonies from the CEOs of leading social media companies will help inform the Committee’s efforts in addressing the issue of online child sexual exploitation, according to the senators. The CEOs of other major firms, including TikTok and Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, are expected to testify voluntarily, the statement adds.
In response to the notice, X said child safety is “top priority” at the company.
“We have been working in good faith to participate in the Judiciary committee’s hearing on child protection online as safety is our top priority at X,” Wifredo Fernandez, head of US and Canada government affairs at X, told NBC News. “Today we are communicating our updated availability to participate in a hearing on this important issue.”
Snap, on the other hand, confirmed that Spiegel is appearing before the senators. “We appreciate the opportunity to appear before the Committee to discuss this vital issue.”
Tech companies have been facing increased regulatory scrutiny with regards to child protection on their social media platforms both in the US and Europe. The recent enforcement of the Digital Services Act (DSA) in the European Union (EU) has tightened the noose around “very large platforms” (sites with over 45 million monthly active), demanding stricter regulatory measures to tackle child abuse material.
In case of violations, a platform could face a ban in the region and a fine amounting to up to six per cent of its yearly turnover.
