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A score of lawmakers, including senators and lower house representatives, have requested meetings with the CEOs of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and TickTok to discuss the Spanish-language disinformation phenomenon, congressional sources reported Tuesday.
Senator Robert Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is one of the signatories of the requests to the technology companies in order to know details to address fake news and disinformation, specifically in Spanish.
Spanish is the second most widely used language in the United States, after English, and the language that unites Ibero-American countries.
Although the issue of misinformation has been addressed in hearings in the various committees of the federal legislature with representatives of the companies, this group of legislators believes it is appropriate to elaborate on the details of the case in this language, according to Senator Menendez’s office.
“Ending misinformation in Spanish must remain a priority. Many state and federal agencies, members of Congress and public health organizations rely on social media to communicate vital life-saving information and share federal resources during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the senator said.
In the letters, the lawmakers call on industry-leading social media companies to quickly address the issue of Spanish-language misinformation in light of the negative effects it is having on communities.
“It is a priority to ensure that Spanish-language disinformation is addressed quickly and effectively, and we therefore respectfully request a meeting to discuss solutions to the problem of Spanish-language disinformation on your platform,” the letters read.
Last October, Facebook experienced a storm of political dimensions in the wake of revelations by a former company employee who testified before lawmakers that the company maintained scant controls over various risks to users.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg also appeared in April 2021 to testify before Congress after revelations about the company’s role in the Cambridge Analytica scandal, during the 2020 election, which culminated in the storming of Capitol Hill on January 6 last year.
“It was my mistake and I’m sorry,” Zuckerberg told lawmakers and pledged to make reforms for responsible use of the social network.
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