Big Tech had another big Capitol Hill moment Wednesday, as Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey addressed the Senate Intelligence Committee on how they're combating Russian interference in American elections. Dorsey later joined the House to testify on Twitter's content monitoring. Here are three noteworthy moments from the hearings. Kathryn Krawczyk
1. Google didn't show up, and lawmakers were very bitter about it. Senators specifically requested Google co-founder Larry Page appear alongside Dorsey and Sandberg on Wednesday, but Google denied that request, instead telling TechCrunch its chief legal officer would be in D.C. to deliver written testimony and briefly address committee members. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) suggested Google was missing because they are "arrogant," and the company's seat remained noticeably empty.
2. Sandberg borrowed a line from White House counselor Kellyanne Conway to tell Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) how Facebook addresses real users intentionally spreading falsities. Sandberg said if third-party fact checkers mark a post as false, its distribution is "dramatically decrease[d]." Users who have shared or are about to share an article are alerted and, "importantly, we show related articles next to that so people can see alternative facts," Sandberg said.
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3. Alex Jones wanted to question why his conspiracy-spewing site Infowars was banned from Facebook, made it into the Senate hearing, and quarreled with Rubio in a hallway. Fellow alt-right personality Laura Loomer stood up to protest during Dorsey's House hearing, but auctioneer and Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.) shut her down in the best way possible.
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