Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) questioned Big Tech’s invasive practices during Tuesday’s Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights.
The hearing came as a series of articles by The Wall Street Journal revealed Facebook was either unwilling or unable to address systemic issues related to everything from users’ mental health to human trafficking.
The witnesses to the hearing included:
- Mr. Steve Satterfield: Vice President of Privacy and Public Policy at Facebook
- Mr. Markham Erickson: Vice President Of Government Affairs And Public Policy at Google
- Ms. Sheila Colclasure: Global Chief Digital Responsibility And Public Policy Officer at IPG Kinesso
- Mr. John Robb: Author at The Global Guerrillas Report
- Ms. Charlotte Slaiman: Competition Policy Director at Public Knowledge
While addressing Mr. Satterfield regarding Facebook’s practices prioritizing profit above children’s wellbeing, Senator Blackburn said, “When we talk to teachers, to parents, to pediatricians, to psychologists, and when we look at the data that you have collected from teens and the changes they have recommended that you make to your platform, it’s like you’re turning a blind eye to that because you’re chasing a dollar… The decision-making that you are exercising shows that you’re making decisions that allow you to be more profitable, not that you’re making decisions that are based on the welfare of that child. ”
Then, regarding Facebook withholding their invasive data collection to parents, Blackburn said, “I think what you have done to a lot of these children is inexcusable. I think the fact that you collect this data, you monetize that data, you benefit from that data, and then knowing you have this data, don’t you think parents would have liked to have known that this was taking place on your site? I do. ”
Following the hearing on Wednesday, Blackburn also posted a tweet that reads, “Facebook is going to do everything in their power to mislead consumers on what they’re up to. That’s why we must hold them accountable.”
The hearing comes just a week after Blackburn and Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) announced that their subcommittee would take additional steps to look into Facebook’s knowledge of its platforms’ negative impact on teenagers and young users, as revealed in The Wall Street Journal.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “Marsha Blackburn” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0. Background Photo “Facebook” by Stock Catalog. CC BY 2.0.
