Facebook, Google and Twitter under fire from Senate Republicans for censoring conservatives online

Republicans led by Sen Ted Cruz (R-TX) pilloried Facebook, Google and Twitter over allegations they censor conservative users and news sites online, threatening federal regulation in response to claims that Democrats long have described as a hoax. The tensions played out early at the Senate Judiciary's Subcommittee on The Constitution hearing where Chairman Cruz said that Silicon Valley’s largest companies had deployed their “power to silence voices with which they disagree.” "Not only does big tech have the power to silence voices with which they disagree, but big tech likewise has the power to collate a person's feed so they only receive the news that comports with their own political agenda," Chairman Cruz said. But Democrats sharply rebuked Chairman Cruz and his GOP allies for convening the hearing in the first place, arguing that they had ignored the real ills of social media — including the rise of hate speech and disinformation online. “For decades, Republicans have bashed the supposedly liberal mainstream media in an effort to work the refs,” said Ranking Member Mazie Hirono (D-HI). “Now that two-thirds of Americans get their news from social media, Republicans have a new boogeyman to target — big tech.”