Senate Demands Answers From Mark Zuckerberg, Linda Yaccarino, And Other Tech CEOs On Online Child Safety Concerns

A Senate committee announced, on Monday, the subpoena of X, Discord, and Snap Inc SNAP CEOs, escalating its investigation into children’s online safety.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is calling on X’s Linda Yaccarino, Discord’s Jason Citron, and Snap’s Evan Spiegel to testify at a hearing slated for Dec. 6. This follows their “repeated refusals” to cooperate in the investigation, The Washington Post reported.

The session aims to interrogate these tech leaders on their companies’ failures in protecting children online. The committee also anticipates the voluntary appearance of Meta Platforms Inc.’s META CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, and TikTok’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew.

This action is in response to growing concerns over the potential harm social media platforms may have on children’s mental health, a topic of bipartisan interest in Congress.

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In a statement, X’s head of government affairs for the U.S. and Canada, Wilfredo Fernandez, said that X has been working “in good faith” to participate in the hearing, emphasizing safety as their top priority.

Snap’s spokesman, Pete Boogaard, stated that Snap’s CEO has already agreed to testify. Discord has yet to comment.

The committee highlighted it had to use the U.S. Marshals Service to serve the subpoenas – a “remarkable departure from typical practice” – after further refusal of cooperation from Discord and X’s executives.

The hearing is set to focus on child sexual exploitation online.

Photo by Frederic Legrand – COMEO on Shutterstock

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