McMorris Rodgers calls for briefing from Big Tech companies on policy for 'illegal' Hamas content

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EXCLUSIVE: House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers is calling for a briefing from social media companies on content moderation policies regarding the spread of "illegal content" posted by Hamas amid the deadly terror attacks in Israel.

McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., sent requests to government affairs representatives for Alphabet, Meta, X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok to brief committee staff by Oct. 20. 

"I’m calling on Big Tech companies to brief the Energy and Commerce Committee on how they are enforcing their moderation policies and community standards surrounding the war in Israel," McMorris Rogers told Fox News Digital. 

"Big Tech must take its responsibility seriously to expose the world to the pure evil of Hamas terrorists and to make sure their platforms aren’t breeding grounds for more terrorist activity."

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Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., questions TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew during a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee March 23, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington.  (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

McMorris Rodgers also told Fox News Digital a company "must provide transparency and answers for how it is monitoring and removing illegal content posted by Hamas for recruitment, to spread propaganda, to livestream murders and torture of hostages and to organize more terrorist activities.

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"This is an urgent matter, and we expect full transparency from Big Tech," she said. "We continue to pray for peace, protection and justice for Israel." 

In a recorded statement sent to Reuters, Khaled Meshaal, who is based in Qatar and heads Hamas’ diaspora office, is heard saying, "[We must] head to the squares and streets of the Arab and Islamic world on Friday." (Momen Faiz/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The committee expects the companies would send representatives from their trust and safety or content moderation teams for the requested briefings. 

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act states "no provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider."

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The section has been pivotal in the rise of today's social media giants by allowing not only Internet service providers, but also Google, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and others, to be shielded from liability from content posted on their platforms by third parties in most cases. 

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Israel was "at war" Saturday after Hamas conducted deadly attacks across the country. Netanyahu promised that the attackers would pay "an unprecedented price."

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The death toll continues to climb in the harrowing days since war broke out Saturday. More than 1,300 Israelis have been killed. 

At least 27 Americans have been killed in the terror attacks. An unknown number of Americans are being held hostage by Hamas, U.S. officials say.