WASHINGTON—Chief executives of two big social-media platforms said their companies did better in fending off election interference in 2020, but they still took hits from all political sides at a postelection congressional hearing.
The tough tone of Tuesday’s hearing suggested that tech companies continue to face higher risks of new regulation in the next Congress that begins in January.
At the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing conducted via videostream, Facebook Inc.’s Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter Inc.’s Jack Dorsey touted improvements their companies made in blocking or reducing misleading information in the 2020 election. That led to less interference, the CEOs said. By contrast, the 2016 election was marred by meddling from Russia aimed at helping elect Donald Trump.
“Securing the integrity of elections is an ongoing challenge for platforms, and we are committed to continuing to improve our systems. But I am proud of the work we have done over the past four years to prevent election interference and support our democracy,” Mr. Zuckerberg said in his opening statement. “Millions of Americans used our service to talk about the campaigns, access credible information about voting and register to vote.”
Lawmakers renewed concerns from other recent hearings, where they have complained about the platforms’ power and reach as well as their handling of specific election-related content.
