The world’s most powerful tech bosses were set to be grilled by US lawmakers today as a year-long competition probe draws to a close.
Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Google chief executive Sundar Pichai and Apple boss Tim Cook were expected to testify remotely in front of a House judiciary sub-committee.
The panel’s bipartisan investigation has already collected testimony from mid-level executives of the four firms, competitors and legal experts, and pored over more than a million internal documents from the companies.
It is investigating whether the four tech giants, which have billions of customers and a combined value greater than Germany’s entire economy, are too dominant and need to be reined.
In the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis and the subsequent protests against racial injustice, Facebook’s handling of hate speech has recently drawn more fire than issues of competition and privacy.
Mr Zuckerberg said the company aims to allow as much free expression as possible unless it causes imminent risk of specific harms or damage.
“We believe in values — democracy, competition, inclusion and free expression — that the American economy was built on,” the Facebook boss said, in his testimony prepared for the hearing. “I understand that people have concerns about the size and perceived power that tech companies have,” Mr Zuckerberg’s statement says.
“Ultimately, I believe companies shouldn’t be making so many judgments about important issues like harmful content, privacy and election integrity on their own. That’s why I’ve called for a more active role for governments and regulators, and updated rules for the internet.”
