One of the central questions for our elected representatives is how to exercise effective oversight over technology. Some days, like when lawmakers ask whether the tech giants have become too powerful, I feel hopeful about government officials’ ability to do this. It is in principle a worthwhile debate about how U.S. laws should balance protecting people from online horrors with providing room for expression online. I could already tell on Tuesday when a tweet from Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, portrayed the congressional hearing as a “free speech showdown” — essentially a verbal WrestleMania match with Twitter’s chief executive billed as the baddie and Senator Cruz as the hero. This is not the hallmark of a serious exercise in policymaking.

Source: New York Times October 28, 2020 16:52 UTC