Discussion

• @alex.stamos Alex Stamos on threads

  Zuck's correct on this one.  The highest leverage moment for parents when giving their kids devices is on initial unboxing and setup.  If you could lock a device to a birthday, and have the age range passed through to all apps via local API, then you would have a much greater cha…

• @senblumenthal Richard Blumenthal on x

  All those words from Big Tech CEOs—how much they care & the promises—are empty. It is the voices & stories of the advocates who joined me today that will create real change. We will win this fight for the Kids Online Safety Act. [image]

• @fboversight @fboversight on x

  @HawleyMO BUTLER: “Have you sat with parents and young people to talk about how you've designed products? ZUCKERBERG: “Yes” BUTLER: “No, you told me a very different answer when we spoke last night. Mr. Zuckerberg you said to me you did not.” Zuckerberg lies: ♾️ Sworn oaths kept:…

• @fboversight @fboversight on x

  @HawleyMO OSSOFF: “Is your platform safe for kids?” ZUCKERBERG: “I believe it is” Fact: In 2022 there were nearly 32 million reported cases of online child sexual abuse material (CSAM), 85% of which stemmed from Meta platforms. https://www.missingkids.org/ ...

• @senblumenthal Richard Blumenthal on x

  HAPPENING NOW: I'm questioning Mark Zuckerberg, Shou Chew, Evan Spiegel, Linda Yaccarino & Jason Citron. Big Tech executives have been making the same hollow promises about youth safety for years while kids continue to suffer horrific harms. This must end. https://twitter.com/...

• @designitforus @designitforus on x

  We know that Facebook's recent changes to protect young people online are nothing but a PR stunt. If they really cared about us, they wouldn't hide evidence of harms and lobby against lifesaving legislation.

• @tech_oversight @tech_oversight on x

  “Who will support the Kids Online Safety Act: Yes or no?” ❌ @Meta ❌ @Discord ❌ @TikTok_US Shame on CEOs still opposing protections for kids & cheers to @senblumenthal for holding feet to the fire as @X scrambles to add support for #KOSA.

• r/technology r on reddit

  Microsoft, X throw their weight behind KOSA, the controversial kids online safety bill

• r/technology r on reddit

  Microsoft Joins In On The ‘Screw Over LGBTQ Kids’ Party By Supporting KOSA

• @alexheath Alex Heath on threads

  where are Roblox and YouTube at this Senate hearing on kids safety online with tech CEOs? a glaring oversight https://www.theverge.com/...

• @bostonjoan Boston Joan on threads

  I'm watching the social media hearing and @senatordurbin is laying out the stakes of doing nothing.  Companies finally took action to change their products this week.  I think senate hearings have done more to drive changes in social media than “innovation” strategies inside comp…

• @csmap_nyu@mastodon.social @csmap_nyu@mastodon.social on mastodon

  5 tech CEOs testify before Congress today about kids online safety.  Many bills have been introduced & the hearing is important.  But to truly understand the scale of the problem requires rigorous, independent research, which isn't possible under the current data-sharing regime. …

• @kurtwagner8 Kurt Wagner on x

  Wow. Senator Hawley just called on Zuckerberg to apologize directly to the the families of victims who were impacted by child sexual exploitation online. He stood up and addressed them in the hearing room. Several of them held up pictures of victims. [image]

• @hawleymo Josh Hawley on x

  Mark Zuckerberg knows all about the pedophiles and child porn on Facebook & Instagram. But instead of fixing it, he'd rather censor conservatives for asking questions about the COVID vaccine or Hunter Biden's laptop [video]

• @sentedcruz Senator Ted Cruz on x

  For every 2 posts on Instagram with hashtags of “Taylor Swift” there is 1 on TikTok. But that difference jumped 174-to-1 while using the “Hong Kong Protest” hashtag. China and TikTok are censoring what is posted on their platform for the benefit of the Chinese Communist Party....…

• @judiciarydems @judiciarydems on x

  Truth.

• @chuckgrassley Chuck Grassley on x

  Big Tech didnt spare a dime trying 2 save face before 2day's Judic hrg Behind the scenes Big Tech has been slow 2 crack down on child abuse on their platforms ENOUGH w the PR stunts Time for Big Tech to put its $$ where its mouth is+ take real measures 2protect kids online [image…

• @sentedcruz Senator Ted Cruz on x

  In June of 2023, I wrote a letter to Meta asking how many times their child sexual abuse warning was shown on their platform. They refused to answer it. Mark Zuckerberg has 5 days to get me and the Senate Judiciary Committee that number. [video]

• @sentedcruz Senator Ted Cruz on x

  When a child sexual abuse warning pops up on Instagram, users are given the option to “see results anyway.” What was Zuckerberg thinking? [video]

• @mikeisaac Rat King on x

  TikTok's ceo says at the Senate hearing the average US user is OVER 30. wild to me but also makes sense? TikTok is basically passive TV at this point

• @cloud_opinion @cloud_opinion on x

  More execs now casting doubt on AI promises.

• @justinbaragona Justin Baragona on x

  Tom Cotton: “Have you ever been a member of the Chinese Communist Party?” TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew: “Senator, I'm Singaporean. No!” Cotton: “Have you ever been associated or affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party?” Chew: “No, Senator. Again, I'm Singaporean!” [video]

• @tiktokpolicy @tiktokpolicy on x

  To be clear, @JohnCornyn, the Wall Street Journal story you referenced gets it wrong. We have robust policies in place to protect US user data, far and above what any peer company has done. There are strict technical controls, policies, and training to prevent unauthorized...

• @mikeisaac Rat King on x

  Bathroom break. upshot for me is that this is basically going to be a hearing interrogating Zuckerberg (Meta) and Chew (TicTac) while the remaining three CEOs can take naps

• @mikeisaac Rat King on x

  Zuckerberg standing up and directly addressing the families of abuse victims and apologizing is quite a moment. Photographers scrum all over it

• @danprimack Dan Primack on x

  Breaking: Senators scream at social media CEOs so that they can go viral on social media.

• @mattbinder Matt Binder on x

  at a Senate hearing ostensibly about child exploitation on social media, Ted Cruz is now yelling at TikTok's CEO because its users post more about Taylor Swift than Tiananmen Square and Hong Kong

• @sayhar Sahar Massachi on x

  Watching this Senate hearing on child safety: It's wild that Facebook is still trotting out the line that (to paraphrase): “99% of the bad stuff we found [we found through this one method”. Who cares? It's all about the bad stuff they *don't* find/action on.

• @jrhuddles Jennifer Huddleston on x

  In light of todays hearing with tech CEOs on youth online safety, I'd like to highlight some of my work on the subject This is an issue where different families have different needs and parents not policymakers are in the best position to make decisions

• @tech_oversight @tech_oversight on x

  There is ZERO reason to ever believe @Meta's BS promises about protecting kids. They never end up acting on them. That's why we need to pass #KOSA and #KidsCode bills that make designing safe products A LEGAL REQUIREMENT.

• @kurtwagner8 Kurt Wagner on x

  We are more than 90 minutes into this social media hearing before the Senate and there has not been a Taylor Swift question, which honestly surprises me

• @fairplayforkids Fairplay on x

  This picture is worth more than every word said here today. [image]

• @wexler Nu Wexler on x

  Not a fan of senators asking CEO witnesses to endorse their pet legislation at hearings. It doesn't produce good answers and it suggests that members need their consent to move forward.

• @alexbarinka Alex Barinka on x

  Sen Graham pushes hard for CEO of Discord to endorse any of the online child protection bills. Discord's Citron says he's not prepared to support them today. “If you wait on these guys to solve the problem, we're gonna die waiting,” Graham said, drawing a laugh from the room.

• @davidshepardson David Shepardson on x

  .@amyklobuchar: at social media hearing: “When a Boeing plane lost a door in flight several weeks ago, nobody questioned the decision to ground a fleet... So why aren't we taking the same type of decisive action on the danger of these platforms when we know these kids are dying?”

• @kurtwagner8 Kurt Wagner on x

  Mark Zuckerberg just said that Meta has “no plans” to move forward with a kids version of Instagram, which Meta considered in 2021. Would have been a bold move to say that they *were* building this at a hearing on children's safety online, but there you have it

• @andymstone Andy Stone on x

  From a National Academies report just last month: “The committee's review of the literature presented in this chapter and Appendix C did not support the conclusion that social media causes changes in adolescent health at the population level.” https://www.nationalacademies.org/ .…

• @ali_lev Alexandra S. Levine on x

  TikTok is currently hiring for a Global Head of Child Safety, per LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/... [image]

• @cagoldberglaw Carrie Goldberg on x

  “I mean, You CAN sue us” — MZ 1-31-24 Graham describes to Zuckerberg l a kid who died from suicide after sextortion. “Should he be allowed to sue you?”

• @parents4sos @parents4sos on x

  “If you're waiting for these guys to solve the problem, we're gonna die waiting,” says Sen. @LindseyGrahamSC #senatehearing

• @lincolnsbible @lincolnsbible on x

  Watching the Senate hearing on social media's damage to young people.  We need a new model for SV tech CEO/ executive.  My thinking is anti-social goobers aren't the folks needed to lead us out of the nightmare they've inflicted on us.  These platforms have toxic dna (since they …

• @evan_greer @evan_greer on x

  STATEMENT on today's Senate Judiciary Hearing: we commend parents & young people speaking up and demanding action, but lawmakers are helping Big Tech by pushing dangerous and misguided legislation like #KOSA & #EARNIt while rejecting common-sense fixes https://www.fightforthefutu…

• @progresschamber @progresschamber on x

  It's worth exploring what changes social media companies have made to protect minors on their platforms, and how those platforms approach digital protections differently. Here's what tech CEOs at today's Senate hearing have to say about what their platforms have changed. 🧵

• @zsk Zoe Kleinman on x

  All 5 of the tech bosses in this hearing - and it is quite the roll call, Mark Zuckerberg, Linda Yaccarino, Shou Zi Chew, Evan Spiegel and Jason Citron - have all made a point of saying they are also parents

• @stevenlevy Steven Levy on x

  Oh, you CEOs are... parents yourselves? Your products MUST be safe! Let's go home.

• @kurtwagner8 Kurt Wagner on x

  Most social networking companies are doing everything they can to attract teens and young people. X CEO @lindayaX is doing the opposite. “X is not the platform of choice for children and teens,” she just said before the Senate.

• @jason_kint Jason Kint on x

  She also said 1% of users are 13-18 without a hedge such as “report to be 13-18”... it would be easy to distract all attn from meta to X but it's a fairly irrelevant platform in size and scope for the subject matter imho relative to the disgust one can have for it.

• @zsk Zoe Kleinman on x

  Evan Spiegel, founder of Snapchat says he is “profoundly sorry” that “a service we designed to bring happiness and joy has caused harm”

• @ttp_updates @ttp_updates on x

  Mark Zuckerberg just bragged about limiting teen ad targeting. Before Meta lifted a finger, though, TTP published multiple reports revealing that the company was approving ads pushing drugs, alcohol, & eating disorders on teens. https://www.techtransparencyproject.org / ...

• @aricohn Ari Cohn on x

  18/ Spiegel: “we enforce our content rules consistently and fairly,” a claim that is aspirationally fine, but realistically impossible. No platform does, or can, reach consistency, which is itself inherently subjective.

• @aftunion @aftunion on x

  While @Meta and others give testimony to the Senate Judiciary committee, the AFT joined @ptogetheraction , @fairplayforkids and @DesignItForUs to run an ad reminding Congress of Meta's track record of promising one thing after a PR crisis then doing the opposite. 🧵

• @amyklobuchar Amy Klobuchar on x

  Today we are holding a hearing in the Senate Judiciary committee about the harmful effects of social media on children and teens. We can't rely on voluntary commitments to protect our kids, that's why we need to pass my bills to hold big tech accountable. [video]

• @kurtwagner8 Kurt Wagner on x

  2018 v 2024 Zuckerberg has been doing these congressional testimonies for a long time [image]

• @benjamingoggin Ben Goggin on x

  Audience members groaned as Mark Zuckerberg said “the existing body of scientific work has not shown a causal link between using social media and young people having worse mental health.” [image]

• @adamkovac Adam Kovacevich on x

  Zuck acknowledge the families and victims in the hearing audience, commits to do as much as possible to protect them.

• @marisasheahill Marisa on x

  Not Mark READING that parenting is one of the most challenging jobs... like he couldn't get that one out without checking his notes?

• @designitforus @designitforus on x

  And we're off! [image]

• @mikeisaac Rat King on x

  Zuckerberg falls back to a regular point he's made over the years — scientific studies have “not proven conclusive” that social media negatively affects mental health. (i would love to be gut checked on that by any scientists following this...)

• @cagoldberglaw Carrie Goldberg on x

  Zuckerberg is up! “Teens tell us this [meta products]is a positive part of their lives” He says Parenting is a hard job

• @asilbwrites Amanda Silberling on x

  Sen. Durbin: “several of these companies implemented common sense child safety improvements within the last week, days before their CEOs would have to justify their lack of action before this committee” yep, literally today tiktok pledged $2 billion toward safety features

• @ttp_updates @ttp_updates on x

  Discord CEO Jason Citron just pointed to his company's teen safety features - no mention of last week's cost-cutting layoffs, which came for child safety teams. https://www.sfgate.com/...

• @franceshaugen Frances Haugen on x

  9/ Now @MarkZuckerman is up. @LindseyGrahamSC pointed out in his opening that many of the basic safety features Mark is now listing were launched on @instagram in just the last week or two - right before Mark would need to testify on the committee.

• @jason_kint Jason Kint on x

  After Republican and Democratic leadership show alignment on dealing with Zuckerberg backed up by the bipartisan state attorneys general lawsuits across the nation, the Chair again reiterates that Twitter's CEO along with two others had to come under subpoena. Now under oath. /2 …

• @zsk Zoe Kleinman on x

  Jason Citron, CEO of Discord, says he is pleased to be at the hearing today - but US Marshalls had to deliver a subpoena to his office before he agreed to go

• @jason_kint Jason Kint on x

  Mark Zuckerberg, on behalf of his products, primarily Instagram and Facebook, faces the full Senate Judiciary Cmte now along with four other CEOs (three under subpoena) for harming children. This is how it has begun, “Mr Zuckerberg...you have blood on your hands. /1 [video]

• @kurtwagner8 Kurt Wagner on x

  Tech CEOs are at the Senate this morning to testify on child safety issues. Sen. Lindsey Graham just told a story of a boy who was sexually exploited on FB & then committed suicide. “You have blood on your hands,” he told Zuckerberg. “You have a product that's killing people.”

• @iamsophianelson Sophia A. Nelson on x

  I'm really grateful for the work of the U.S. Senate on protecting kids from tech online sex exploitation. I've been researching online porn with underage girls for a project I'm working on: it's horrific. The images. The proliferation of it is stunning!

• @aricohn Ari Cohn on x

  2/ Durbin kicks off by showing a video from victims of online CSE and their parents. Undeniably horrible stories, and if the hearing really focuses exclusively on platform efforts to combat CSE/CSAM, I'll be on board—platforms SHOULD be doing more. But that's unlikely.

• @anacabrera Ana Cabrera on x

  Senator Graham to Mark Zuckerberg: “You have blood on your hands. You have a product that's killing people.” (during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with tech CEOs focused on child safety on social media)

• @cspan @cspan on x

  Sen. @LindseyGrahamSC: “Mr. Zuckerberg, you and the companies before us, I know you don't mean it to be so, but you have blood on your hands. You have a product that's killing people.” [video]

• @cagoldberglaw Carrie Goldberg on x

  Total silence and a sea of parents holding photos of their beautiful dead kids. As the hearing is about to begin [image]

• @cagoldberglaw Carrie Goldberg on x

  Graham tells Zuckerberg his product isn't “all bad. I even use Facebook” (and you can hear the stock plummeting. 📉)

• @rebeccamkern Rebecca Kern on x

  Covering @JudiciaryDems hearing with Meta, X, TikTok, Snap and Discord CEOs discussing their handling of child sexual abuse material this morning. The room is full of sexual exploitation victims and families who have lost children who are holding up photocopies. room is silent [i…

• @mikeisaac Rat King on x

  already off and running. i have a strong feeling all the Senate members are going to go after Zuckerberg the most during the hearing since he's far and away the most recognizable CEO to the general public sitting in front of the committee

• @benjamingoggin Ben Goggin on x

  As Mark Zuckerberg entered the Senate hearing room, parents holding the photos of their dead children audibly hissed. Follow along for our live coverage below: https://www.nbcnews.com/... [image]

• @alexbarinka Alex Barinka on x

  “Mr. Zuckerberg, you and the companies before us — I know you don't mean it to be so, but you have blood on your hands,” says Sen. Lindsey Graham, the top Republican on the committee. The hearing room broke out in applause.

• @franceshaugen Frances Haugen on x

  1/ Today the Judiciary is holding a hearing confronting the CEOs of Meta, X, Snapchat, TikTok, and Discord confronting them on their negligence and failure to protect children online. It should be a shocking and historic few hours.🧵 https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/ ... [video]

• @_andyburrows Andy Burrows on x

  Lindsay Graham tells Mark Zuckerberg he has blood on his hands. He's right. Impressive bipartisanship on display as the @JudiciaryDems #TechHearing gets underway.

• @parents4sos @parents4sos on x

  “Your algorithms can be more powerful than even the most well-intentioned parent,” says @SenatorDurbin during opening remarks at Big Tech @JudiciaryDems hearing. #SenateHearing #ProtectKidsChallenge

• @zsk Zoe Kleinman on x

  Senator Graham calls for Section 230, which protects social media companies, to be repealed. “I know you don't mean to, but you have blood on your hands” he says addressing Mark Zuckerberg and the tech bosses gathered for this hearing on child safety online

• @zamaan_qureshi Zamaan Qureshi on x

  We're stand alongside parents at the @JudiciaryDems hearing with Big Tech CEOs. @DesignItForUs is showing Mark Zuckerberg we are worth much more than $270. [image]

• @adamkovac Adam Kovacevich on x

  Hearing is underway. Durbin notes growth in CSAM. A good Wash Post story highlighted law enforcement's challenges with not enough resources to investigate CSAM cases https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... [image]

• @cendemtech @cendemtech on x

  Ahead of Senate Judiciary hearing this morning, CDT, @ACLU, @EFF + @fightfortheftr's sent a letter urging companies testifying to invest in dynamic user empowerment tools & refrain from advancing bills that undermine young people's rights and safety: https://cdt.org/...

• @aricohn Ari Cohn on x

  Senate Judiciary is having a hearing today on “Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis,” in which senators will yell at a bunch of social media platform CEOs and likely say some very wrong things. Follow along in this thread, if you dare. https://www.judiciary.se…

• @judiciarydems @judiciarydems on x

  BREAKING: The Senate Judiciary Committee is hearing from five Big Tech CEOs on their failures to protect kids online, a landmark hearing. These companies constantly pursue engagement and profit over basic safety. It's time to protect kids from Big Tech. https://twitter.com/...

• @mollyroseorg @mollyroseorg on x

  Good luck to all our friends who today are gathering in Washington DC as five tech leaders give evidence to the US Senate. The world is watching and we stand with you

• @bebraveglobal @bebraveglobal on x

  1/n Today, @TomKrumins will be on the ground in Washington D.C. during the Senate's Hearing on Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis. Follow along this thread for his live tweets with updates about the hearing. #ProtectKidsOnline 🧵⬇️ [image]

• @elizableu Eliza on x

  I'm watching for a few things during the corporate tech hearing... I'd like X and Meta to announce a new commitment to the development of open-source AI tools to detect and remove CSE at scale.  (X already announced more mods.)  I'm also interested about seeing where the governme…

• @judiciarydems @judiciarydems on x

  Sen. WELCH runs step-by-step through the exploitative business model of Big Tech companies with CNBC. “The media companies - never doing better as you mentioned with the stock price - have a business model where they amplify things that disturb kids because they get more hits... …

• @haajrahgilani @haajrahgilani on x

  I'm at the Senate Judiciary hearing on big tech and online child sexual exploitation. The CEOs from X, TikTok, Snap, Discord and Meta will all testify. [image]

• @judiciarydems @judiciarydems on x

  Sen. DURBIN speaks with TODAY on outdated law re: Big Tech liability. “The numbers that come back to us tell us the exploitation of children is growing by leaps & bounds. And what're we doing about it? Clinging to old law which basically exempts this industry from liability.” [vi…

• r/neoliberal r on reddit

  Tech CEOs told ‘you have blood on your hands’ at US Senate child safety hearing

• @coopsimms Elevator Charles on x

  @CollinRugg @greg_price11 This is probably an unpopular take, but I respect Mark Zuckerberg for standing up and doing that. Contrast this to the Ivy League presidents that couldn't even say genocide is bad. Zuckerberg took responsibility, looked the victims in the eyes, and apolo…

• @marshablackburn Sen. Marsha Blackburn on x

  In June 2023, the @WSJ ran a story about the existence of a “vast pedophile network” on Instagram. Yet, Mark Zuckerberg could not explain to me how this content does not violate Meta's terms of service. Astonishing. [video]

• @quinnypig Corey Quinn on x

  No shade: that's a class move.

• @politico @politico on x

  Lindsay Graham laid into Zuckerberg and the other tech CEOS at the Senate Judiciary hearing on online child sexual exploitation. “You have blood on your hands,” he said. “You have a product that's killing people.” [video]

• @jason_kint Jason Kint on x

  “Mr. Zuckerberg, do you believe you have a Constitutional right to lie to Congress?” asks Sen Blumenthal ahead of going down line on KOSA which it seems the CEOs of Discord and Twitter aren't familiar with specifics of... btw, Snap ceo continues to stand out positively here. /13 …

• @hawleymo Josh Hawley on x

  ‘A Moment For The Ages’: CNN Anchor Reports on Stunning Apology From Mark Zuckerberg During Senate Hearing https://mediaite.com/a/wrmrx via @mediaite

• r/technology r on reddit

  Mark Zuckerberg apologizes to parents at online child safety hearing