{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=2C095667-A671-4D88-A92B-49B4C4BA8A3B", "Thune: The Time has Come to Hold Big Tech Accountable", "2021-10-21", "2021", "2021-10", "Republican", "Senate", "SD", "John Thune", "T000250", "www.thune.senate.gov", "thune", "https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases", "scraper", "U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband, today urged Congress to enact meaningful, bipartisan legislation to hold big tech companies accountable. Thune discussed the secret and potentially harmful algorithms big tech uses to manipulate a user\u2019s experience. Thune noted that his two bipartisan bills, the Platform Accountability and Consumer Transparency (PACT) Act and the Filter Bubble Transparency Act, would help increase online transparency and accountability for consumers of all ages.\n\nThune\u2019s remarks below (as prepared for delivery):\n\n\u201cMr. President, social media has become a big part of a lot of Americans\u2019 lives.\n\n\u201cTikTok. Twitter. Facebook. YouTube. Instagram.\n\n\u201cPeople turn to social media for connection.\n\n\u201cFor entertainment.\n\n\u201cTo stay on top of the news.\n\n\u201cFor pictures of the grandkids.\n\n\u201cFor workout routines and new recipes.\n\n\u201cSocial media offers a lot of benefits and opportunities.\n\n\u201cBut it\u2019s becoming ever more clear that social media has a darker side as well.\n\n\u201cSocial media use can have a negative effect on mental health.\n\n\u201cIt can foster negative and divisive engagement and serve as an outlet for illegal activity, from child pornography to human trafficking.\n\n\u201cAnd it can have a particularly detrimental effect on the still-developing psyches of teenagers.\n\n\u201cThe Wall Street Journal recently published a series of disturbing reports based on the information a Facebook whistleblower provided that highlighted everything from the use of Facebook for criminal activity in developing countries, to the company\u2019s own research showing the negative impact Instagram can have on teenage girls.\n\n\u201cAnd two weeks ago, the Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing where we heard firsthand from the Facebook whistleblower about the concerns that led her to come forward.\n\n\u201cNext week, the Commerce Committee will be holding a hearing with witnesses from Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube examining how these companies treat younger users.\n\n\u201cA recent Wall Street Journal investigation into TikTok revealed how easy it is for younger users to be bombarded with wildly inappropriate content, from videos promoting drug use to disturbing sexual content.\n\n\u201cMr. President, one major problem with social media that came through once again in the recent Commerce hearing and in the Wall Street Journal\u2019s recent revelations is social media platforms\u2019 use of algorithms to shape users\u2019 experience.\n\n\u201cGone are the days when you logged into Facebook and just consumed content that had been posted chronologically since your previous log-in.\n\n\u201cNow Facebook \u2013 and other social media platforms \u2013 use algorithms to shape your newsfeed and suggestions for additional content, emphasizing posts the platforms think you\u2019ll be interested in and deemphasizing other posts.\n\n\u201cNow, algorithms can be useful, of course.\n\n\u201cIf you\u2019re looking for YouTube videos on how to build a bookshelf, you\u2019ll probably appreciate it if YouTube suggests additional videos on how to build a bookshelf \u2026 rather than videos on how to roast a turkey or sink the perfect jump shot.\n\n\u201cBut algorithms have a problematic aspect as well.\n\n\u201cFor starters, many people aren\u2019t aware of just how much their experience on these platforms is being manipulated, and the negative emotional effects that that manipulation can have.\n\n\u201cDisclosure on these platforms can be confusing or nonexistent, so individuals can be largely unaware that the immense amount of personal data social media platforms collect is being used to decide what posts they\u2019re being shown, what ads they\u2019re being offered, and more.\n\n\u201cIndividuals end up trapped in what has been termed the \u2018filter bubble\u2019 \u2013 their own world of filtered search results and tailored content.\n\n\u201cThis can lead to everything from political polarization \u2013 as users are presented with a narrow, one-sided view of current affairs \u2013 to addictive behavior, as the platform doubles down on troubling content users have shown an interest in.\n\n\u201cAs the Wall Street Journal\u2019s recent articles on Facebook and TikTok demonstrate, the filter bubble can be particularly troubling in the case of younger social media users, who may watch an inappropriate video and soon find that their feed is filled with similar material.\n\n\u201cIn many ways, the filter bubble can end up shaping users\u2019 choices and behavior.\n\n\u201cMr. President, as a former Commerce Committee chairman and current ranking member of the Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband, I\u2019ve been following these issues for a while and have developed two bipartisan bills \u2013 the Filter Bubble Transparency Act and the PACT Act \u2013 that I think would go a long way toward addressing the problems posed by social media platforms.\n\n\u201cMy Filter Bubble Transparency Act, which is cosponsored by Senators Blumenthal and Blackburn, among others, would allow social media users to opt out of the \u2018filter bubble.\u2019\n\n\u201cIn other words, it would allow them to opt out of the filtered experience tailored for them by opaque algorithms and instead see an unfiltered social media feed or search results that aren\u2019t based on the vast amount of information the platform has on them.\n\n\u201cFacebook, for example, would be required to provide a clear notification to users that their content is being shaped by algorithms.\n\n\u201cAnd then Facebook would be required to provide users with an easily accessible option to see a chronological newsfeed, instead of a newsfeed powered by opaque algorithms emphasizing the posts Facebook wants you to see.\n\n\u201cMy Platform Accountability and Consumer Transparency Act \u2013 the PACT Act \u2013 which I introduced with Senator Schatz, would also increase social media transparency.\n\n\u201cIt would require sites to provide an easily digestible disclosure of their content moderation practices for users.\n\n\u201cAnd it would address censorship concerns by requiring sites to explain their decision to remove material to consumers.\n\n\u201cUntil relatively recently, sites like Facebook and Twitter would remove a user\u2019s post without explanation and without an appeals process.\n\n\u201cAnd even as platforms start to shape up their act with regard to transparency and due process, it\u2019s still hard for users to get good information about how content is moderated.\n\n\u201cUnder the PACT Act, if a site chooses to remove your post, it has to tell you why it decided to remove your post and explain how your post violated the site\u2019s terms of use.\n\n\u201cAnd then it has to provide a way for you to appeal that decision.\n\n\u201cThe PACT Act would also explore the viability of a federal program for Big Tech employees to blow the whistle on wrongdoing inside the companies where they work.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ve learned a lot from Frances Haugen, the Facebook whistleblower who spoke to the Commerce Committee two weeks ago.\n\n\u201cAnd I believe that we should encourage employees in the tech sector to speak up about questionable practices of Big Tech companies so that we can, among other things, ensure Americans are fully aware of how social media platforms are making use of artificial intelligence and individuals\u2019 personal data to keep them hooked on their platforms.\n\n\u201cMr. President, as I said earlier, social media offers a lot of benefits.\n\n\u201cBut with the ever-increasing role it plays in Americans\u2019 lives, it is essential that consumers understand exactly how social media platforms are using their information and shaping the news they see and the content they interact with.\n\n\u201cAnd I am hopeful that the recent troubling revelations about Facebook and TikTok published by the Wall Street Journal will create an impetus for bipartisan action on social media transparency.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m grateful to have bipartisan cosponsors for the Filter Bubble Transparency Act and the PACT Act.\n\n\u201cAnd I look forward to working with my cosponsors to get these bills passed in the near future.\n\n\u201cBig Tech has operated in the dark for too long.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:24:51Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=2C095667-A671-4D88-A92B-49B4C4BA8A3B"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6402029432356358, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}