Senators are taking a deep dive into the inner workings of social media companies.

The Senate Judiciary Committee's privacy and technology subcommittee will hold a May 4 hearing titled "Platform Transparency: Understanding the Impact of Social Media." The hearing features witnesses from the privacy and cyber policy field as lawmakers work to further explore social media transparency, including how algorithms work and how functionalities impact users, public policy, content moderation and access to data.

Witnesses are likely to hear questions from senators about content recommendation techniques deployed by platforms like Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc. The company came under fire last year as the public learned Facebook knew some of its platforms in some cases amplified hate speech and misinformation.

Questions about Twitter Inc. are likely to arise as the company prepares to go private in a deal with billionaire Elon Musk. The transaction has left many wondering how the Tesla Inc. and SpaceX CEO will make the platform's algorithm open source.

While social media has become a hot topic in Washington, the process of legislating it is a long and arduous task.

In Congress, several bills are in the works. In the House, the DATA Act, introduced last year by Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., would require platforms to disclose advertising information to academic researchers and the Federal Trade Commission.

Stanford Law professor Nate Persily, who will be among the witnesses at the May 4 hearing, outlined a platform transparency act in October of last year. His bill would create a platform accountability division within the FTC.

Big Tech has also opined on the legislative process. When testifying to the Senate Commerce Committee last year, Instagram LLC head Adam Mosseri proposed the creation of an industry body that would determine best practices for children's social platforms, including setting standards regarding age verification, age-appropriate experiences and parental controls. The idea was met with hesitancy from some lawmakers because the consortium may not act in the same way a U.S. regulator does.

At a privacy conference last month, Microsoft Corp. President and Vice Chair Brad Smith called for tech companies to collaborate with regulators, arguing it would be the best path forward to address ongoing global issues. At the same event, Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook warned of the risks to various regulation efforts.

The FTC remains locked in a 2-2 partisan divide and will likely remain that way for some time. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., announced he tested positive for COVID-19 on May 1, further delaying any potential vote on FTC nominee Alvaro Bedoya's confirmation procedure. The vote for Bedoya, who has specialized in regulations concerning privacy and facial recognition technology, is coming down to party lines, meaning Democrats need all 50 Senate votes to have a chance of confirming him.

Agency morale at the FTC in 2021 was 29% lower than in the previous year, data from an Office of Personnel Management survey revealed last week.

	Government
	May 3	The Senate Subcommittee on Cybersecurity will receive testimony on artificial intelligence applications to operations in cyberspace.
	May 3	The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation will convene a hearing titled "Department of Transportation Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Priorities."
	May 4	The Senate Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law will hold a hearing titled "Platform Transparency: Understanding the Impact of Social Media."
	Industry, legal and think tank events
	May 4	ICS Village will present Hack the Capitol 5.0.
	May 4	Ranking Digital Rights will hold an event titled "Charting the Future of Big Tech Accountability."
	May 5	Protocol and a panel of experts will discuss the biggest regulatory priorities of the not-quite-biggest tech companies in an event titled "Tech Regulation Beyond Big Tech."

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