Google is now in the congressional spotlight as CEO Sundar Pichai testifies on Capitol Hill
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2018/12/11/google-ceo-sundar-pichai-testifies-congress-hearing/ Minutes into the hearing, Pichai quickly found himself trapped in the middle of a partisan war. Republicans allege they've been censored. Democrats say the charges are "fantasy" and part of a "right-wing conspiracy theory," said Rep. Jerry Nadler, the top Democrat on the panel. Nadler also warned about the emergence of Internet platforms as a "new tool for those seeking to stoke racial and ethnic hatred. The presence of hateful conduct and content in these platforms has been made all the more alarming by the recent rise in hate-motivated violence." Adding to the early drama, some of Google's conservative critics also arrived at the hearing spoiling for a fight: Alex Jones, a conspiracy theorist banned from YouTube for violating its policies against abuse, took a seat five rows behind Pichai along with Roger Stone, an ally of Jones. Before testimony began, Jones held court outside the hearing room, shouting that Google had violated his rights to free speech. The hearing is set to unleash a barrage of uncomfortable questions about the company's operations, including the data it collects on its users and its aspirations in China. "Google is a remarkable company that has accomplished a great deal," said Rep. Bob Goodlatte, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. "But given their size and their economic power, and some would argue political power based upon how search works and how YouTube works, there are a lot of questions to address. - - - --Lauren-- Lauren Weinstein (lau...@vortex.com): https://www.vortex.com/lauren Lauren's Blog: https://lauren.vortex.com Google Issues Mailing List: https://vortex.com/google-issues Founder: Network Neutrality Squad: https://www.nnsquad.org PRIVACY Forum: https://www.vortex.com/privacy-info Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: https://www.pfir.org/pfir-info Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy Google+: https://google.com/+LaurenWeinstein Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenweinstein Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 _______________________________________________ nnsquad mailing list https://lists.nnsquad.org/mailman/listinfo/nnsquad
