The Senate Judiciary Committee grilled Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter's Jack Dorsey over how they handle false and misleading claims about the election, including from President Donald Trump.
Backed by Rebekah Mercer, Parler now one of the most downloaded smartphone apps, as conservatives complaining of censorship by Facebook and Twitter seek out other social media alternatives.
Ahead of Election Day, the social network put in place several measures to fight the spread of false claims. On Thursday it shared data showing some of its changes were effective.
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok have stepped up efforts to curb the spread of misinformation about the election, but researchers say falsehoods thrive nearly unchecked on live videos.
Twitter permanently suspended an account from former Trump adviser Steve Bannon after he suggested Dr. Anthony Fauci and FBI Director Christopher Wray should be beheaded.
The chief executives of Facebook, Twitter and Google face skepticism from a Senate committee over their decisions about what content to allow and what to take down from their platforms.
Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, Twitter's Jack Dorsey and Google's Sundar Pichai go before the Senate Commerce Committee to defend Section 230, a law that protects them from lawsuits over users' posts.
While Republicans accuse Facebook and Twitter of censoring free speech, one expert says the platforms should do more because U.S. voters are "more vulnerable to online disinformation" than ever.
The social media companies said they wanted to slow the spread of possibly false information. But their actions drew charges of censorship from President Trump and his allies.
A federal judge has ordered Twitter to reveal the identity of an anonymous user who allegedly forged an FBI document to spread a conspiracy theory about the killing of DNC staffer Seth Rich in 2016.
John McAfee was arrested in Spain and now faces extradition to the U.S. Prosecutors say he didn't file tax returns from 2014 to 2018, and concealed millions of dollars through various methods.
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Live Updates: Trump Tests Positive For Coronavirus
The president, who is being treated for COVID-19, has been downplaying the severity of the disease. He said falsely that, compared with the flu, COVID-19 is "in most populations far less lethal."
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Live Updates: Trump Tests Positive For Coronavirus
All three tech companies confirmed that posts expressing the hope that the president does not recover from COVID-19 will be removed for violating each platform's content policies.
In a blog post, the social media giant said it would review how preview images are cropped after some users recently posted examples white faces being selected over Black faces.
If results of the presidential election are delayed, false claims and other misinformation could thrive online, which is forcing Facebook and Twitter to prepare for worst-case scenarios.
National security officials say Russia is again trying to disrupt the election. But this time, it doesn't have to work so hard because Americans are spreading mistruths and doubts about the election.
The Justice Department's proposal would hold Facebook and Twitter more accountable for users' posts. One critic says the Trump administration is "trying to work the refs ahead of the election."
False claims that blame left-wing activists for wildfires in Oregon have spread on social media. To stop the rumors, some experts say platforms should take inspiration from the stock market.
The company said its new policy would eliminate search predictions that could be seen as favoring a political candidate or as making claims about "the integrity or legitimacy of electoral processes."
Twitter will label or remove posts that spread misinformation. Social media companies are under pressure to curb the spread of false claims and prevent interference from foreign and domestic actors.
In the first criminal charges connected to the Twitter hack earlier this month, state and federal authorities reveal new details about how the scheme alleged occured.
The company said Trump Jr.'s account would be limited for 12 hours. It said the president's son put out a tweet with "misleading and potentially harmful" information about the coronavirus.
