LOOKING INTO IT

House Panel Requests Documents From Facebook for Potential ‘Inquiries’: Report

The committee reportedly requested documents from the social network pertaining to the 2016 election and other matters.

The House Judiciary Committee has reportedly requested documents from Facebook on matters including the 2016 presidential campaign, the relationship between the platform and hate crimes, and “voter suppression efforts on the platform.” According to CNN, the committee has also requested the IP addresses of a “Russian government-linked troll group” who placed political ads on the website, and for more information about Facebook’s ad transparency program. The requests could reportedly lead to “several separate possible inquiries” by the committee. On top of the requests, the committee has also reportedly sought expertise from researchers who specialize in “social media and online disinformation”—with one such researcher telling the network she has been in contact with the committee in recent weeks. A spokesperson for Facebook told CNN the social network was “cooperating with the committee.”