Columbia Standard

U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, who is the Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, delivered an opening statement in the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism hearing. The hearing, titled "A Time for Truth: Oversight of Meta’s Foreign Relations and Representations to the United States Congress," featured Sarah Wynn-Williams, Facebook’s former Director of Global Public Policy, as the sole witness.

Sarah Wynn-Williams's memoir, which recounts her time at Facebook (now Meta) from 2011 to 2017, served as a focal point for the hearing. Her memoir discusses Facebook's attempt to enter the Chinese market and the company's involvement in the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar, its impact on the 2016 presidential election, and its targeting of vulnerable teens to increase engagement and advertising spending.

Durbin, in his statement, said, "Meta chooses to target vulnerable teenagers to drive engagement and increase ad spending, knowing the risks it poses to teen mental health. Meta chooses to feed its users inflammatory content to drive engagement and increase ad spending, knowing the harm it can cause. Meta chooses to put human rights concerns aside if it means access to more users, more growth, and more dollars."

During the timeframe covered by Ms. Wynn-Williams's book, Durbin was the Chair of the Human Rights and the Law Subcommittee, and he was questioning Facebook about its possible cooperation with the Chinese government. He recounted, "We held hearings on the human rights implications of Big Tech operating in countries with repressive governments and sent interrogatories to Facebook about the issue. The company flatly declined to appear, claiming they had nothing to say about the issue."

Describing a board meeting, Ms. Wynn-Williams states, "The board, ‘gets into a conversation about what other companies or industries have navigated similar challenges, where they have to change a narrative that says that they’re a danger to society, extracting large profits, pushing all the negative externalities onto society and not giving back.’ Guess what model they chose? Big Tobacco."

Durbin highlighted the continued resistance by tech giants to regulation by recalling his legislative experience. "Any effort to regulate Big Tech is met with millions of dollars in ad campaigns, lobbying, and other opposition. But Congress has fought this battle before," Durbin said.

He expressed confidence in a transformative change against Big Tech, similar to the fight against Big Tobacco. "Thanks to people like Ms. Wynn-Williams, I believe we’re at a similar tipping point with Big Tech. The word is out. The shine has worn off."

Durbin emphasized the need to amend Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act: "As Ms. Wynn-Williams makes clear in her book, companies like Meta won’t do the right thing unless they are compelled to do it."

He reinforced the necessity for accountability by stating, "Unless and until Congress imposes accountability on these companies, nothing will change, and children and society will continue to pay the price."

Durbin's role in child safety online continues through hearings, legislation, and oversight efforts. In January 2024, he chaired a hearing with CEOs of social media companies regarding child safety online. He also co-sponsored bipartisan legislation such as the STOPCSAM Act and the DEFIANCE Act aimed at protecting children online and addressing legal gaps in digital content and deepfakes.