Opening a hearing, Mississippi Republican Roger Wicker noted that extremists can become radicalized on the Internet. Washington state Democrat Maria Cantwell argued that social media amplifies hate. She said online behavior that incites violence must be stopped. The Anti-Defamation League's George Selim identified "8chan" as an online platform that has become a "go-to" site for many extremists.
Representatives of social media companies were summoned to the hearing. Google's Derek Slater said his company is vigilant about content that promotes hate and incites violence. That includes YouTube. Twitter's Nick Pickles said his company does not hesitate to suspend or remove accounts for hateful content. Facebook's Monika Bickert said the social media giant is committed to removing content that violates Facebook's policies. She stressed that Facebook stands firmly against hate and violence.
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