Facebook, Google, Twitter and Reddit subpoenaed by Jan. 6 committee

Facebook, Google, Twitter and Reddit have been subpoenaed by the Congressional select committee investigating the Jan. 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. In a statement, the committee said the companies responses so far have been inadequate.

Two key questions for the Select Committee are how the spread of misinformation and violent extremism contributed to the violent attack on our democracy, and what stepsif anysocial media companies took to prevent their platforms from being breeding grounds for radicalizing people to violence, committee chair Bennie Thompson (D-MS) said.

Its disappointing that after months of engagement, we still do not have the documents and information necessary to answer those basic questions. The Select Committee is working to get answers for the American people and help ensure nothing like January 6th ever happens again. We cannot allow our important work to be delayed any further.

The committee is looking for a range of records related to users activity on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Reddit, as well as internal documents about the companies handling of Jan. 6th.

In a letter addressed to Mark Zuckerberg, Thompson addresses Facebooks handling of the Stop the Steal movement that was organized on its platform. An internal memo detailed how Facebook failed to recognize the danger posed by the groups until after the violence on January 6th. The letter also references testimony from whistleblower Frances Haugen, who told Congress last year that Facebook disbanded its civic integrity team after the election.

We've reached out to Meta, Twitter, Reddit and YouTube for comment.

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