Investors push for social media controls ahead of U.S. inauguration
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The effort is the latest pressure on Facebook Inc (FB), Twitter Inc (TWTR) and Alphabet Inc (GOOG) over extreme rhetoric after the storming of the U.S. Capitol last week by supporters of President
In letters sent on Thursday, the investors - including
In the longer run, boards and executives must review their "business model and reliance on algorithmic decision making, which has been linked to the spread of hate and disinformation online," the letters said.
Alphabet representatives did not respond to questions. A Facebook (FB) spokesman said it has banned over 250 white supremacist groups and enforced rules like those barring militias from organizing on its platform. A Twitter representative cited actions it has taken like suspending accounts that mainly shared QAnon content.
Violent rhetoric on social media platforms has ramped up in recent weeks as groups planned openly for the gathering in
Twitter and Facebook (FB) banned Trump's accounts last week as the tech giants scrambled to crack down on Trump's baseless claims of fraud in the U.S. presidential election.
The activist investors together manage about
The bans on Trump have prompted concern among other investors that users and advertisers would leave for different platforms. Twitter CEO
(Reporting by