Lawmakers grill tech giants over their influence on consumers – WSYR

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) The CEOs of Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google testified remotely on Capitol Hill Wednesday afternoon, defending their business practices as lawmakers questioned how they wield their power over American consumers.

The CEOs Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook, Sundar Pichai and Mark Zuckerberg fielded questions from lawmakers during a House Judiciary Committee hearing, which comes after a yearlong bipartisan investigation into unfair business practices by the tech giants.

Rep. David Cicilline, D-Rhode Island, argues that their power over the marketplace is killing small businesses across the country.

Simply put: They have too much power, Cicilline said. Any single action by one of these companies can affect hundreds of millions of us.

Why does Google steal content from honest businesses? he asked while questioning Pichai.

We support 1.4 million small businesses, Pichai answered. We see many businesses thrive.

But lawmakers argue theres little room left for competition. The CEOs pushed back, however, arguing that theres still plenty of room for competition and opportunity on their platforms.

We nurture entrepreneurs and startups, Bezos said.

If Apple is a gatekeeper, what we have done is open the gate wider, Cook said.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Maryland, questioned Zuckerberg on his companys efforts to crack down on fake accounts spreading misinformation.

Zuckerberg said Facebook invests billions of dollars a year in doing so.

Republican lawmakers also raised concerns over the platforms censorship of conservative voices.

Big techs out to get conservatives thats not a suspicion, thats not a hunch thats a fact, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said.

Zuckerberg argued that his companys goal is to offer a platform for all ideas.

So far, lawmakers havent agreed on the right way to take a more active role in policing the top tech companies.

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Lawmakers grill tech giants over their influence on consumers - WSYR

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