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FEDERALhearing transcript

High Impact

Senate Hearing on Foreign Influence Operations on Social Media

Original title: OPEN HEARING ON FOREIGN INFLUENCE OPERATIONS' USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS (COMPANY WITNESSES)

January 1, 2019

social media foreign influence election security national security misinformation

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The Frame

What this does

This hearing addresses the vulnerability of social media platforms to foreign interference, which impacts the integrity of public discourse and democratic processes in the United States.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Social Media Users

Users are subject to platform policies regarding content moderation and the removal of accounts deemed to be engaged in inauthentic behavior.

Facebook and Twitter

The companies are required to report on their security operations and face congressional scrutiny regarding their role in preventing foreign influence.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2019.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence held a hearing with executives from Facebook and Twitter to discuss how foreign actors use social media platforms to conduct . The hearing focused on the companies' efforts to identify and remove accounts engaged in .

Key Facts

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence held an open hearing on September 5, 2018, regarding foreign influence operations on social media.
Facebook and Twitter executives testified regarding their platforms' roles in identifying and removing foreign influence operations.
Facebook removed 652 pages, groups, and accounts for coordinated manipulation and inauthentic behavior.
Twitter removed 284 accounts for coordinated manipulation and inauthentic behavior.
The committee acknowledged Google's internal security teams for their work in disrupting influence operations.
This was the fourth and final hearing conducted by the committee on the subject of foreign influence operations on social media.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why were Facebook and Twitter executives called to testify?

They were called to discuss how their platforms are used for foreign and what steps the companies are taking to address .

Did Google participate in this hearing?

No, Google was not represented at the hearing, though the committee acknowledged their security teams' efforts in disrupting .

Why It Matters

This hearing addresses the vulnerability of social media platforms to foreign interference, which impacts the integrity of public discourse and democratic processes in the United States.

News Coverage

Left1

1 source

Blind spot - no right-leaning coverage

Upload government papers to go online? That’s our terrifying future | Aliya Bhatia

The GuardianMay 12, 2026

Many states and countries are passing laws that require websites to verify the age of their users. This shift could impact how people access common online services and raises concerns about digital privacy and rights.

Bias ratings based on AllSides / Media Bias/Fact Check

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Increased Scrutiny of Tech Platforms

The hearing marks a transition toward more precise and candid language by the Senate regarding the responsibility of social media companies in national security.

Facebook Twitter Senate Select Committee on Intelligence

Connected Entities

personMark R. Warner“Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence”Map →

organizationSenate Select Committee on Intelligence“Congressional committee overseeing intelligence activities”Map →

personJack Dorsey“Chief Executive Officer of Twitter, Inc.”Map →

organizationTwitter“Social media company represented at the hearing”Map →

personRichard Burr“Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence”Map →

organizationFacebook“Social media company represented at the hearing”Map →

personSheryl Sandberg“Chief Operating Officer of Facebook”Map →

organizationGoogle“Company acknowledged for security work, though not present”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance85
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy60
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment40
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz50
Current news / social attention level

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