Congress subpoenas CEOs of Musk's X, Snap and Discord to testify before Christmas on kids' social media risks
TikTok and Meta CEO's expected to 'voluntarily testify' at same Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Dec. 6
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The Senate Judiciary Committee announced on Monday that leadership subpoenaed the CEOs of Elon Musk's X, Snap and Discord to testify before Christmas break regarding the dangers of social media for children.
Chairman Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and ranking member Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., issued bipartisan subpoenas to the CEOs of the social media companies ahead of a hearing on Dec. 6.
The committee and Durbin announced the subpoenas Monday in posts on the X platform itself.
"Committee remains in discussion w/ Meta, TikTok – expects their CEOs will agree to testify voluntarily," the Senate Judiciary Committee wrote.
"We promised Big Tech that they’d have their chance to explain their failures to protect kids. Now’s that chance. I’m hauling in Big Tech CEOs before the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify on their failure to protect kids online," Durbin wrote. "Big Tech has failed to police itself – at the expense of our kids. We’re informing our legislative push to protect kids online."
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Snap CEO Evan Spiegel, X CEO Linda Yaccarino and Discord CEO Jason Citron have been subpoenaed to testify before the Senate Judicary Committee on Dec. 6. ( / Getty Images)
The committee billed the hearing as an opportunity for members to "press Big Tech CEOs on their failures to protect kids."
"Big Tech’s failure to police itself at the expense of our kids cannot go unanswered," Durbin and Graham said in a joint statement. "Hearing from the CEOs of some of the world’s largest social media companies will help inform the Committee’s efforts to address the crisis of online child sexual exploitation."
Elon Musk has said he purchased X, formerly Twitter, to preserve free speech. (Hakan Nural/Anadolu Agency via / Getty Images)
In a departure from standard practice, Discord and X allegedly refused to cooperate by accepting service of the subpoenas on behalf of their CEOs, according to the committee, therefore "requiring the committee to enlist the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service to personally serve the subpoenas," Reuters reported.
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This marks the first time X’s Linda Yaccarino will testify before Congress since Musk appointed her as CEO of the platform formerly known as Twitter. Discord’s Jason Citron and Snap’s Evan Spiegel have also been issued subpoenas to testify Dec. 6, while Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew are said to speak before Congress voluntarily.
House Republicans recently pressed Chew over the "deluge of pro-Hamas content" flooding TikTok amid the Israel-Hamas war, as the Chinese platform has sparked major national security debate over CCP influence for months now.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on March 23, 2023, in Washington, D.C. He is expected to voluntarily testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Dec. 6, 2023. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Wifredo Fernandez, X’s head of government affairs for the United States and Canada, told The Washington Post in an emailed statement that the company, "has been working in good faith to participate in the Judiciary committee’s hearing on child protection online as safety is our top priority at X."
"Today we are communicating our updated availability to participate in a hearing on this important issue," Fernandez said.
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"Snap’s CEO has already agreed to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee, and our team is coordinating with Committee staff on potential dates," Snap spokesman Pete Boogaard said in a statement, according to the Post.