Do we need a federal agency to govern Facebook, Twitter, and Google?

How can Congress govern the unity of Facebook? At a House of Commerce and House trade committee hearing on social media, terrorism, and misinformation Thursday, Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) offered a creative proposal: a new government body, something like the Federal Trade Commission, that would provide a general monitoring social media companies.

Just like the FTC or the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Welch argued that a policy group and technology staff would work in such an organization, and could focus on a wide range of issues, from standards content and privacy of data to misinformation and distortion.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey were at the hearing, and Rep Welch asked them directly if they would support such an organization, which he described as “the creation of a public body with the Congress. .. which has the authority to regulate and enforce the ongoing representation of the public to address emerging issues. ”

Zuckerberg told the House committee that Welch’s proposal could be “very effective and positive,” noting that such an organization could help “complex trade” between the values ​​of privacy, competition, safety, and sentiment. free of charge. Jack Dorsey said on Twitter that he would have an “open mind” to the idea, given the details of how such an entity would work in practice. Google Pichai, meanwhile, said it would “delay Congress” on the issue, but agreed that “knowledge” was needed.

“Social media companies are always innovating and changing, and Congress cannot keep up, but a specific government body capable of change and monitoring can be done quickly and efficiently,” he suggested. Welch in a letter sent to other members of Congress before Thursday’s hearing. . The letter, which Recode looked at, suggests that this entity should have the flexibility to deal with a wide range of issues raised by social media platforms, including privacy and data security, content modeling, and protection. liability.

Welch’s proposal stood at the hearing, which lasted more than five hours and substantially revisited Republican and Democratic concerns about social media platforms, including misinformation, anti-discrimination. online, child welfare on social media, and content modeling.

This is also not the first time that someone has proposed a new government agency to regulate social media or technology companies. Paul Barrett, a NYU professor and deputy director of the Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, has called for the addition of a “digital bureau” to the FTC or for the creation of a new “Digital Governing Body” that would ensure platforms meet certain standards. A bill proposed last year by Sens. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and John Thune (R-SD), “Platform Accountability and Customer Transparency Act,” also urged the FTC to take a more decisive role in monitoring social media companies. Others have suggested the idea that Congress go through legislation creating accountability and transparency guidelines for social media companies, and leave it up to another body to ensure companies meet the guidelines. sin.

It is unclear how likely it is that Congress will create a new federal agency to regulate social media or expand existing federal authority. But Thursday’s hearing suggests the enthusiasm for cracking down on those platforms remains strong.

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