Republicans and Democrats have completely different priorities on tech

Congress will hold not one — but two — hearings scrutinizing the alleged failings of Big Tech the week of April 8. Both are dedicated to probing the industry’s flaws, but each will be sending very different messages. On April 9,  the Democratic-controlled House Judiciary Committee will investigate the role that tech has played in the proliferation of white nationalism. On April 10, the Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee will look into questions of how tech companies have enabled potential censorship of differing political perspectives. The gripes from the two different parties actually converge on the same fundamental problem: they aren’t satisfied with the way tech companies moderate content. Carving out exceptions in Section 230 is one way lawmakers could increase accountability for issues like hate speech, but it could also cripple the way that such platforms — and the broader internet — operates, tech groups have argued.