Discord, Reddit, Twitch, and Steam CEOs invited to US Congress to discuss radicalisation of online users
Following increased political violence and radicalisation in the US, it seems lawmakers are targeting online forums.
The CEOs of Discord, Reddit, Twitch, and Steam have been invited to testify before the US Congress about the radicalisation of online forum users. This comes during the aftermath of the assassination of US political commentator Charlie Kirk.
The assassin was found to have been an avid Discord user, where it is believed he could have been radicalised and used the platform to plan the attacks. Evidence on this matter is not yet conclusive, but it appears that United States lawmakers are keen to figure out what's going on behind the curtain in some of the internet's most popular destinations.
"The politically motivated assassination of Charlie Kirk claimed the life of a husband, father, and American patriot. In the wake of this tragedy, and amid other acts of politically motivated violence, Congress has a duty to oversee the online platforms that radicals have used to advance political violence," reads a statement from House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman James Comer. "To prevent future radicalization and violence, the CEOs of Discord, Steam, Twitch, and Reddit must appear before the Oversight Committee and explain what actions they will take to ensure their platforms are not exploited for nefarious purposes."
The contacted people of interest have not yet responded at the time of writing. In the past, Congressional hearings regarding social media platforms and online forums have been intriguing to say the least. Often, there's a clash between lawmakers who don't understand new technology very well, and CEOs who are trained to circumvent most questions.
