Online forum CEOs called to testify at Congress after Charlie Kirk murder

Online forum CEOs called to testify at Congress after Charlie Kirk murder

Following the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, a Republican-led House panel has asked the CEOs of Discord, Steam, Twitch, and Reddit to testify before Congress next month.

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer notes that the hearing is intended to “examine radicalization of online forum users, including incidents of open incitement to commit violent politically motivated acts.” He also sends letters to each of the four executives on Wednesday.

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Nor were a few people questioned to testify on either Meta or X, which are much more popular than the other social media platforms.

A husband, father, and American patriot were killed in the politically motivated assassination of Charlie Kirk, according to Comer in a statement.

Congress has a duty to control the online platforms that radicals have used to advance political violence in the wake of this tragedy and other politically motivated violence.

Following Kirk’s murder, there has been a renewed focus on social media. Tyler Robinson, 22, the murder suspect, appeared to have a strong online presence and had a strong interest in gaming and meme culture. According to reports, Robinson admitted to the shooting during a conversation on Discord.

While a number of influential Republicans have attempted to depict the murder as a major left-wing “terror movement,” the evidence provided by police so far suggests that he was acting alone.

Meanwhile, right-wing activists and officials have been urging employers to fire employees who posted remarks that appeared to celebrate Kirk’s death on social media or even those who had just made remarks disparaging him.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Department of Justice would “go after you if you are targeting anyone with hate speech,” remarks she later had to walk back after Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier this week said the government would revoke the visas of foreigners honoring Kirk’s passing.

Source: Aljazeera

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