Skip to main content
Image
Photo of Committee panel

Pallone Requests Briefing from Google, Facebook, and Twitter on Content Management Policies

October 23, 2017

“Your platforms have taken on a role of policing content but your practices for doing so are not clear.”

Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) sent a letter to the CEOs of Google, Facebook and Twitter today requesting a meeting to discuss the companies' policies for content management and advertising on their platforms. The request follows multiple reports of vague and confusing content guidelines that are frequently applied inconsistently.

"The influence of the internet over our national dialogue and our lives has skyrocketed over the past decade," Pallone wrote to the CEOs. "At the same time, the number of websites handling this traffic has consolidated to a handful of key platforms. The combination of these trends have led to these few companies taking on a quasi-governmental role policing content, and therefore a large amount of communication, on the internet."

In his letter, Pallone notes that the companies' content management policies may be influenced by a desire to increase page views and ad clicks leading to inconsistent and inadequate content policing on their platforms.

"With a goal of ad clicks or driving page views, these companies' policies are not neutral; they actively shape content on the web. And to the extent that these companies' platforms have publicly available policies for moderating content, those policies are vague and applied inconsistently," Pallone continued in his letter to the CEOs. "This lack of transparency makes it difficult for consumers to understand how content is controlled and for the government to oversee the market. Ultimately, algorithms and employees become the arbiters of what is acceptable content in the public forum without transparent guidelines."

Pallone is requesting a briefing with the companies to review their policies for moderating content and advertising and to discuss the implementation of those policies. Specifically, Pallone asked for each of the companies to be able to discuss how they develop and enforce their policies, how users are aware of these policies, what safeguards are in place to prevent creators of fabricated content from gaming algorithms to promote their stories, and what processes are in place for appeals.

Full text of Pallone's letter is available below:

October 23, 2017

Dear Mr. Page, Mr. Zuckerberg, and Mr. Dorsey:

I am writing to better understand your policies for managing content and advertising on your platform. The influence of the internet over our national dialogue and our lives has skyrocketed over the past decade. At the same time, the number of websites handling this traffic has consolidated to a handful of key platforms. The combination of these trends have led to these few companies taking on a quasi-governmental role policing content, and therefore a large amount of communication, on the internet.

Despite these companies having taken over this important policymaking role, their objective is monetizing web traffic, not public policy. With a goal of ad clicks or driving page views, these companies' policies are not neutral; they actively shape content on the web. And to the extent that these companies' platforms have publicly available policies for moderating content, those policies are vague and applied inconsistently. This lack of transparency makes it difficult for consumers to understand how content is controlled and for the government to oversee the market. Ultimately, algorithms and employees become the arbiters of what is acceptable content in the public forum without transparent guidelines. The result of these dynamics can often be absurd:

  • One website justifiably bans certain terrorist organizations such as al-Qaida, the Taliban and Boko Haram, but permits Holocaust denial and white supremacist sites.
  • Some websites have refused to act on individual reports of threatening and harassing behavior. But those same sites do remove the posts and suspend accounts of the offenders when those same posts are raised by reporters or politicians.
  • In some cases, posts from sexual assault victims raising awareness of sexual assault have been removed by moderators and the victims' accounts have been suspended. At the same time, posts threatening sexual assault against users are permitted.
  • One website trains moderators to protect white men from harassment, but not African American children.
  • In another case, a platform's CEO admitted to using his administrative powers to secretly edit users' comments that were critical of him.
  • Junk news, misleading advertising, and other disinformation is running rampant on the major platforms. False and deceptive content are part of a widespread Russian operation designed to use major platforms to sway our elections and undermine our democracy. But it also seems to come from individuals who are trying to game your content policies to make money from advertising through increased traffic to their sites.

Your platforms have taken on a role of policing content but your practices for doing so are not clear. I therefore request a briefing with Committee staff on your platforms' policies for moderating content and advertising and the implementation of those policies. Please be prepared to discuss:

  • How did you develop your policies for user content?
  • How do you enforce violations of your policies? What quality control measures do you employ to ensure consistency in policing these policies?
  • How do you ensure that users are aware of the policies both before content is posted and after content has been removed?
  • What safeguards do you have in place to prevent creators of fabricated content from gaming your algorithms to promote their stories?
  • What processes do you have in place to provide appeals of your decisions? What remedies are provided for users who have been harmed by incorrect decisions to promote or take down content?

Your assistance in this matter is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Frank Pallone, Jr.

###