Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey on Thursday told lawmakers his platform takes some responsibility for the Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol, while Facebook and Google’s CEOs declined to say whether they had a direct role in fomenting the riot.
“I want to start by asking all three of you if your platform bears some responsibility for disseminating disinformation related to the election and the Stop The Steal movement that led to the attack at the Capitol,” asked Rep. Mike Doyle, Pennsylvania Democrat, at a hearing. “Just a yes or no answer.”
Only Mr. Dorsey said yes.
“Yes, but you also have to take into consideration a broader ecosystem,” Mr. Dorsey said. “It’s not just about the technology platforms that were used.”
Mr. Dorsey answered last after both Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Sundar Pichai tried to dodge the question.
“Mr. Zuckerberg, I just want a yes or no answer: Do you bear some responsibility for what happened?” asked Mr. Doyle interrupting the Facebook CEO.
“Congressman, our responsibility is to make sure that we build effective systems to help fight the spread of—,” said Mr. Zuckerberg before Mr. Doyle interjected again.
“OK, the gentleman [chooses] not to answer the question. Mr. Pichai, yes or no?” Mr. Doyle said.
“We always feel a deep sense of responsibility, but I think we worked hard,” Mr. Pichai answered. “This election was one of our most substantive efforts.”
Mr. Doyle then asked Mr. Pichai whether his answer meant yes or no, and the Google CEO replied that it was a “complex question” and he did not give a simple answer.
