Klobuchar, Welch, Durbin Call on Tech CEOs for Answers on Layoffs of Staff Dedicated to Addressing Election Disinformation

Press Release

"According to public reports, your companies have significantly reduced the number of staff charged with addressing misinformation and disinformation pertaining to our elections. This month one report stated that Meta has only 20 percent of the number of staff who worked on election-related issues in 2020 - or 60 employees down from 300 - and that additional layoffs are planned. In January YouTube reported layoffs that left just one person in charge of handling misinformation policy globally, and earlier this month YouTube reversed its policy of taking down false claims about previous elections. Late last year Twitter cut about 15 percent of employees who work on content moderation, with additional layoffs announced earlier this year. The platform is reported to be facing challenges with moderating misinformation and harmful posts.

"Given these layoffs, we are deeply concerned about your companies' ability to respond effectively to the increasing spread of election-related disinformation in the 2024 election cycle. This is particularly troubling given the emerging use of artificial intelligence to mislead voters. According to one report, even before recent layoffs your companies lacked sufficient policies and staff to counter disinformation during the 2022 elections. Just last month several current and former employees from Meta's trust and safety teams warned that layoffs could weaken Meta's response to viral election misinformation and foreign influence campaigns."

Source