Valve, Discord, Reddit, and Twitch CEOs called to testify before Congress on online radicalization

A response to the Charlie Kirk assassination

by · TechSpot

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What just happened? The CEOs of Valve, Discord, Reddit, and Twitch have been asked to testify before the US House Oversight Committee at a hearing on online radicalization. The request comes in the aftermath of the assassination of Charlie Kirk, whose suspected killer was reportedly deeply immersed in online culture and used Discord to discuss the shooting.

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer sent letters to Gabe Newell of Valve, Twitch CEO Dan Clancy, Reddit boss Steve Huffman, and Discord CEO Humam Sakhnini, requesting their testimony on October 8.

According to the letters, the hearing will examine the radicalization of online forum users, including instances of open incitement to commit politically motivated acts.

"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," Comer said.

The committee is currently only asking the CEOs to attend; they have not been subpoenaed.

Following the shooting, it was revealed that investigators had found bullet casings with engraved messages referencing Helldivers 2, a meme about furries and online role-play, and a gotcha meme.

Suspected shooter Tyler Robinson also reportedly confessed to the shooting in a Discord group chat. FBI Director Kash Patel said there were more than 20 people in the group and the agency was "running them all down."

This won't be the first time that online forum CEOs have been called to testify over how their platforms are used for radicalization and criminal activities. Reddit's Huffman testified before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce in 2021 about misinformation and extremism online. The site has long faced scrutiny over extremist or illegal communities.

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Following the Christchurch, Poway, and El Paso mass shootings in 2019, 8chan/8kun owner Jim Watkins was called to testify before the US House Homeland Security Committee about the site's role in spreading extremist content.

While Facebook is not a forum in the traditional sense, Meta's Mark Zuckerberg testified multiple times before US Congress and European Parliament over issues including the spread of terrorist propaganda, extremist recruitment, and misinformation.

Twitch and Discord, meanwhile, were both investigated by New Jersey's Attorney General following a 2022 mass shooting in Buffalo. The investigation looked into whether the platforms broke state consumer protection laws by not removing harmful content or enforcing rules against extremism and hate.