A "Select Committee" was established in the House of Representatives to investigate what led to the attack on the US Capitol on January 6. A large-scale investigation of the largest social media companies around the globe will be part of this wide-ranging inquiry. Today, the committee announced that it had requested records from 15 companies regarding the attack. They were then asked to respond within the next two weeks.
This is a list of all the major internet players, including Google, YouTube and Twitter, Facebook, Reddit. Snap, Twitch. Telegram, Telegram, TikTok, Reddit. There are many smaller sites, which are pro-Trump, that have appeared on the list, such as Gab and Parler. Also, there's 8kun (formerly known as 8chan).
The Select Committee is specifically looking for records regarding the spread of misinformation and efforts to overthrow 2020's election results, efforts to prevent certification of election results, foreign influence in the election and domestic violence extremism. The Committee also wants materials from these companies regarding any policy changes or revisions that were made to combat misinformation, violent extremism, and foreign malicious influences.
The Committee would like to hear about both policy changes made and those that companies have "failed" to adopt. Facebook recently adopted a recommendation by its Oversight Board as a response to the attack. Facebook reversed its policy that allowed politicians bypass some of its rules in the name of newsworthiness. However, politicians still get special treatment for other rules like fact-checking.
Since the Select Committee was formed, it has been obvious that it would take time to collect enough information to properly investigate January 6th events. This extends to the companies it requests. Now the ball is in each company's court.
