Do we want a federal company to manage Fb, Twitter, and Google?

How can Congress greatest regulate the monstrosity that’s Fb? At a Home Power and Commerce committee listening to on social media, extremism, and misinformation on Thursday, Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) provided a inventive suggestion: a brand new authorities company, considerably just like the Federal Commerce Fee, that might broadly present oversight of social media firms.

Very similar to the FTC or the Securities and Alternate Fee (SEC), Welch argued that such an company could be staffed by coverage and know-how specialists, and will deal with a variety of points, from content material requirements and information privateness to misinformation and disinformation.

Fb CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey had been on the listening to, and Rep. Welch requested them straight in the event that they’d assist such an company, which he described as “the creation by Congress of a public company … that has rule-making and enforcement authority to be an ongoing consultant of the general public to handle these rising points.”

Zuckerberg advised the Home committee that Welch’s proposal could possibly be “very efficient and optimistic,” noting that such an company might assist with “complicated trade-offs” between values of privateness, competitors, security, and free expression. Twitter’s Jack Dorsey mentioned he would have an “open thoughts” to the thought, relying on the small print of how such an entity would work in observe. In the meantime, Google’s Pichai mentioned he would “defer to Congress” on the query, however agreed “experience” was wanted.

“Social media firms are continuously innovating and altering, and Congress can’t sustain, however a devoted authorities entity that may adapt and monitor rapidly and successfully can,” Welch steered in a letter despatched to different members of Congress upfront of Thursday’s listening to. The letter, which was seen by Recode, means that this entity would have the pliability to handle a variety of points raised by social media platforms, together with privateness and information safety, content material moderation, and legal responsibility protections.

Welch’s suggestion stood out on the listening to, which lasted over 5 hours and largely reviewed ongoing Republican and Democrat issues about social media platforms, together with misinformation, on-line discrimination, childrens’ welfare on social media, and content material moderation.

This additionally isn’t the primary time somebody has a proposed a brand new authorities company to manage social media or know-how firms. Paul Barrett, an NYU professor and the deputy director for the Stern Middle for Enterprise and Human Rights, has known as for including a “digital bureau” to the FTC or for creating a brand new “Digital Regulatory Company” that might be sure that platforms are assembly sure requirements. A invoice proposed final 12 months by Sens. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and John Thune (R-SD), the “Platform Accountability and Client Transparency Act,” equally requires the FTC to play a extra assertive position in overseeing social media firms. Others have steered the concept Congress move laws creating accountability and transparency pointers for social media firms, and leaving it as much as one other company to ensure firms are assembly these pointers.

It’s unclear how possible it’s that Congress would create a brand new federal company to manage social media or increase the purview of an current federal authority to that finish. However Thursday’s listening to means that the keenness to crack down on these platforms stays robust.

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