WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th January, 2022) The US House Select Committee investigating the events at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, said it has subpoenaed the social media companies Alphabet, Meta, Twitter and Reddit for records related to their alleged role in spreading misinformation about the 2020 presidential election and serving as a platform for domestic violent extremists.
"After inadequate responses to prior requests for information, the Select Committee is demanding records from Alphabet, Meta, Reddit and Twitter relating to the spread of misinformation, efforts to overturn the 2020 election, domestic violent extremism and foreign influence in the 2020 election," the Select Committee said in a press release on Thursday.
The Select Committee said it specifically wants information about how the spread of misinformation and violent extremism on social media platforms contributed to the US Capitol riot and whether the companies did anything to address the issue beforehand.
In addition, the Select Committee said it expects the social media companies to submit all requested records by January 27.
On January 6, 2021, a group of supporters of former President Donald Trump entered the US Capitol to protest the certifying of the 2020 presidential election results from several US states that Trump claimed were fraudulent. The authorities shot dead an unarmed protester and charged more than 700 people for participating in the event.
