Bloomberg News/Landov Jack Dorsey, co-founder and chief executive officer of Twitter Inc., land Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook Inc., arrive at the Dirksen Senate Office for the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing.
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg on Wednesday defended their efforts to prevent outside manipulation of their social-media platforms by Russian and other foreign actors that also touched on their roles in policing domestic content and protecting privacy.
In a high-profile hearing convened by the Senate Intelligence Committee, both Sandberg and Dorsey said they have upgraded their efforts to curtail manipulation. Indictments from special counsel Robert Mueller have charged that Russia used Facebook FB, -1.23% and Twitter TWTR, -5.40% in an effort to push propaganda at voters and encourage the election of President Donald Trump.
“We were too slow to spot this and too slow to act,” Sandberg said. “We have implemented significant improvements since we last appeared before the Committee in November, and we will continue to undertake important steps in the coming months and years,” Dorsey said.
On Senate.gov website: Read Sandberg’s opening statement | Read Dorsey’s opening statement
Facebook shares were down about 1%, while Twitter shares slumped more than 5%.
Sen. Richard Burr, the North Carolina Republican who chairs the committee, encouraged the companies, in his gentle questioning, to work together. Both Burr and Sen. Mark Warner, the Virginia Democrat who is vice chairman of the committee, asked the executives about privacy controls.
Warner asked Sandberg about whether Facebook should publish the value of the information it has on each individual. “We are happy to work with you on the proposal,” Sandberg replied without assenting to the idea.
Warner replied that whether “you can assent away all of your rights” is something that should be examined.
Alex Jones, the Infowars host who attended the hearing, was less effusive.
“You, the so-called media, have been foaming at the mouth to get me further de-platformed so I can’t respond to the lies,” he said in remarks that were broadcast on CNBC outside of the hearing. “This is the 11th hearing in the last year and a half where I am one of the main focuses and I have not ever been called to testify when they say outrageous, slanderous, defamatory things.”
Jones denied that he was acting on behalf of Russia.
Apple AAPL, -0.72% , Facebook and Alphabet Inc.’s GOOGL, -1.93% GOOG, -1.96% YouTube have removed Infowars content from their platforms for violating guidelines including its use of hate speech and its harassment of users.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Dorsey has overruled his staff, which wanted to kick Jones off that platform. Twitter rebutted that report.