Big tech CEO’s Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey have faced the US senate regarding policies on blocking or cautioning some election material on their sites.
The heart of the November hearings was summed up by Senator Ted Cruz’s question to the head of Twitter: “Mr Dorsey, does Twitter have the ability to influence elections?”
Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said at a conference in Georgia in 2019 the social media platform strives to stay neutral and that it is important for the people to hear what politicians have to say. However, in the waves of political division, particularly with the intense situation in the aftermath of the US presidential election, their policies have come under the microscope.
Danny Haynes from Hills Sports high school told Hatch there is an overlooked element in these issues – that the platforms are advertiser-driven businesses.
And Sydney based university students also shared their views on censorship. Jack Stout from University of New South Wales said he thinks that whatever these companies do, they will come under fire.
While Oliver Milgate from Whitehouse Institute of Design and a member of the Young Liberal Party said it is not the big tech companies’ role to be the moderator.
Listen to the full radio piece below.