House Democrats asked social media platforms to provide federal law enforcement officials with information on how to counter threats and violent posts, according to letters sent to eight companies on Friday.
House Oversight and Reform Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) asked Meta, Twitter, TikTok, Truth Social, Rumble, Getr, Telegram, and Gab for details about their policies and data. Asked to respond. on threats.
The request comes as researchers have identified an increase in violent posts targeting FBI agents since a search of former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.
In the letter, Democrats cited the incendiary positions of their GOP allies, who have accused the Justice Department of being “armed” against Trump and called on the FBI to “defame.”
“The committee strongly supports the First Amendment rights of all Americans to speak out about the actions of their government and law enforcement matters, including on social media platforms. However, threats and incitement of deadly violence are unacceptable and against the law,” the Democrats said. wrote.
“The committee is trying to understand how your company responds when users post threats against law enforcement, how your company prevents your platform from being used to incite violence against law enforcement personnel, and whether legislative reform is necessary to protect law enforcement personnel and increase coordination with federal officials,” he said.
He also noted that there have been “already” attacks from users calling for civil war and violence toward federal law enforcement, noting attempted violations at an FBI field office in Cincinnati.
Lawmakers are asking companies to answer detailed questions about the threats and their policies by September 2.