Google, Facebook, Twitter to testify on 'censorship'

Tech giants Google, Facebook and Twitter are slated to send their company representatives to testify at a Senate hearing next week about the alleged "censorship" of conservative voices.

The Senate subcommittee is chaired by technology critic and Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who has alleged that Silicon Valley giants are biased against conservatives and routinely censor right-wing voices.

"Twitter and Google are also expected to send their representatives to the event titled 'Stifling Free Speech: Technological Censorship and the Public Discourse'," The Hill reported citing a source familiar with the matter.

Facebook's public policy director Neil Potts is scheduled to attend the hearing to be held by the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution.

"Donald Trump in a tweet last month accused Facebook, Google and Twitter of being 'on the side of the Radical Left Democrats'," the report added.

The three tech titans have denied the accusations, arguing that there was little evidence to back the charges.

This comes in the wake of conservatives, including US President DOnald Trump, increasing their criticism of social media companies.

"Big tech behaves like the only acceptable views are those on the far left. And any views to the contrary are suitable for censorship and silencing," Cruz said last week, according to RT.com.

--IANS

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