Jan. 6 panel subpoenas Facebook, Twitter, Reddit and Alphabet
By Rebecca Beitsch - 01/13/22 04:12 PM EST The House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol subpoenaed some of the country’s largest social media and tech companies Thursday, arguing they had not been forthcoming following an August request for information.
The four subpoenas were sent to Facebook, Twitter, Reddit and Alphabet, the parent company of both Google and YouTube.
“Two key questions for the Select Committee are how the spread of misinformation and violent extremism contributed to the violent attack on our democracy, and what steps—if any—social media companies took to prevent their platforms from being breeding grounds for radicalizing people to violence,” Committee Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said in a statement.
“It’s disappointing that after months of engagement, we still do not have the documents and information necessary to answer those basic questions.”
In one of its first formal actions, the committee in late August sent a request to 15 websites and tech companies asking them to preserve records tied to the Jan. 6 riot.
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https://thehill.com/policy/technology/589651-jan-6-panel-subpoenas-facebook-twitter-reddit-and-alphabet
