Newsletter
In a letter to Meta, Google, and Twitter, US Senators have questioned the Big Tech abilities to fight misinformation ahead of the 2024 election after mass layoffs.
The tech giants have reduced their headcounts due to economic slowdown and post-Covid corrections. These companies own the biggest online platforms and could significantly impact public opinion.
The Senators now worry that mass layoffs might hinder the companies from fulfilling their commitment to combating misinformation. The layoffs also included members of content moderation teams who are responsible for dealing with false content on the platforms.
Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Vermont Democratic Sen. Peter Welch, and Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin wrote the letter on Tuesday. They warned that the emergence of AI to mislead voters is “particularly troubling.”
Big Tech layoffs could impact US 2024 Elections, Senators Says
The tech companies are now facing one of the biggest exodus in their history. The problem for Big Tech is more considerable. Following the Elon Musk takeover, Twitter laid off nearly 80% of its staff, including content moderations and some engineering teams.
Google parent company Alphabet also plans to reduce 12,000 of its headcounts as well as pause the construction of a new Campus in California. Likewise, Facebook’s parent company Meta wants to eliminate 21,000 jobs over two rounds of layoffs. The impacted staff are said to get severance payments.
It remains to be seen how this exodus could impact the US 2024 election. In a statement to CNN, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said, “We remain focused on advancing our industry-leading integrity efforts and continue to invest in teams and technologies to protect our community – including our efforts to prepare for elections around the world.”
Ahead of the 2024 election, some platforms are changing their content moderation policies. For example, YouTube now allows users to question the validity of the 2020 election and say it was stolen. Senators also pointed out the Twitter content moderation “Challenges” after Musk’s takeover and his mass layoffs.
Twitter, Meta, and Google CEO must respond to the letter by July 10. Senators asked CEOs how they prepare for the 2024 election and what their plans are to combat misinformation. Additionally, the companies need to clarify whether they need to hire content moderators and how they can battle AI-generated deepfakes in politics.