Following inadequate responses from social networks, Jan. 6 committee subpoenas them.Following inadequate responses from social networks, Jan. 6 committee subpoenas them.

The Select Committee requested records “related to the spread of misinformation, efforts to reverse or block the certification of the 2020 election results, violent domestic extremism, and foreign influence in the 2020 election” from 15 platforms in August. The committee is also investigating what efforts social media platforms take to avoid becoming “breeding grounds” for radicalization.

In a statement, committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, said, “It’s unfortunate that after months of interaction, we still don’t have the papers and information necessary to address those basic concerns.”

Thompson cited news reports about how people used Meta’s platforms to spread misinformation, conspiracy theories, hate speech, and violence before January 6 and documents provided by the former Facebook product manager, turned whistleblower Frances Haugen, in a letter to Facebook’s parent company, Meta.

In March, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg told US senators that “the blame here falls with the people who took the actions to break the law and do the insurgency.”

ProPublica and The Washington Post published an investigation last week that revealed evidence that Facebook had a “critical role in propagating misinformation that incited the violence of January 6.” According to news reports, at least 650,000 remarks in Facebook groups questioned the legitimacy of Joe Biden’s presidential victory over Donald Trump, with many calling for political violence. Trump will hold a rally in Arizona on Saturday.

“We received the subpoena and will continue to engage with the committee on their requests,” a Reddit spokeswoman stated. Requests for comment from Meta and Alphabet, Google’s parent firm, were not immediately returned. Twitter did not respond to requests for comment.

After receiving “inadequate responses” from the digital giants, the House committee probing the deadly Capitol Hill brawl issued subpoenas to Reddit, Twitter, and the parent firms of Facebook and Google on Thursday.

The Select Committee requested records “related to the spread of misinformation, efforts to reverse or block the certification of the 2020 election results, violent domestic extremism, and foreign influence in the 2020 election” from 15 platforms in August. The committee is also investigating what efforts social media platforms take to avoid becoming “breeding grounds” for radicalization.

In a statement, committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, said, “It’s unfortunate that after months of interaction, we still don’t have the papers and information necessary to address those basic concerns.”

Thompson cited news reports about how people used Meta’s platforms to spread misinformation, conspiracy theories, hate speech, and violence before January 6 and documents provided by the former Facebook product manager, turned whistleblower Frances Haugen, in a letter to Facebook’s parent company, Meta.

In March, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg told US senators that “the blame here falls with the people who took the actions to break the law and do the insurgency.”

ProPublica and The Washington Post published an investigation last week that revealed evidence that Facebook had a “critical role in propagating misinformation that incited the violence of January 6.” According to news reports, at least 650,000 remarks in Facebook groups questioned the legitimacy of Joe Biden’s presidential victory over Donald Trump, with many calling for political violence. Trump will hold a rally in Arizona on Saturday.

“We received the subpoena and will continue to engage with the committee on their requests,” a Reddit spokeswoman stated. Requests for comment from Meta and Alphabet, Google’s parent firm, were not immediately returned. Twitter did not respond to requests for comment.

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