Facebook employees are facing questioning from Senate investigators who are probing allegations that the social media company suppresses conservative media outlets in order to boost liberal viewpoints.
“If Facebook presents its trending topics section as the result of a neutral, objective algorithm, but it is in fact subjective and filtered to support or suppress particular political viewpoints, Facebook’s assertion that it maintains a ‘platform for people and perspectives from across the political spectrum’ misleads the public,” Senate Commerce Committee chairman John Thune, R-S.D., wrote in a Tuesday letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Thune’s letter follows a report from Gizmodo, a technology blog that quoted former Facebook employees claiming they were instructed to blacklist conservative media outlets from having stories placed in the “trending topics” section of the social media site. The company denied the allegations, and claimed to have “rigorous guidelines” in place to ensure fairness.
“Facebook must answer these serious allegations and hold those responsible to account if there has been political bias in the dissemination of trending news,” Thune said in a statement accompanying the letter. “Any attempt by a neutral and inclusive social media platform to censor or manipulate political discussion is an abuse of trust and inconsistent with the values of an open Internet.”
Thune, a senior member of GOP leadership, asked Zuckerberg to produce the “guidelines” and explain when they were developed, when they have been changed, and how the company tracks compliance with the guidelines. And he also wants to his team talk to the putative whistleblowers.
“In addition, please arrange for your staff, including employees responsible for trending topics, to brief committee staff on this issue,” Thune wrote.
A Senate Democratic aide argued that Thune’s request shows Republican priorities are out of whack.
“The Republican Senate refuses to hold hearings on Judge Garland, refuses to fund the president’s request for Zika aid and takes the most days off of any Senate since 1956, but thinks Facebook hearings are a matter of urgent national interest,” said Adam Jentleson, an aide to Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.
“The taxpayers who pay Republican senators’ salaries probably want their money back,” he said.
