Zuckerberg, TikTok's CEO, other Big Tech leaders testify on online sexual exploitation of children

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday morning will hear testimony from the CEOs of five major tech companies including Mark Zuckerberg of Meta.

They will answer questions regarding what Big Tech is doing to stop the online sexual exploitation of children.

The others set to testify are Linda Yaccarino of X, Shou Zi Chew of TikTok, Evan Spiegel of Snap and Jason Citron of Discord.

Congress reportedly sent U.S. marshals to subpoena Yaccarino and Citron.

In an opening statement released before the hearing, Spiegel emphasizes what he considers Snap's pro-active efforts, which includes identifying harmful content, to rid the platform of extortion and child sexual abuse material.

Zuckerberg's written statement show he plans to advocate for better age verification and parental controls, and Chu's show TikTok's plans to pledge $2 billion this year toward moderation.

The hearing will likely center on the Kids Online Safety Act, according to The Verge, the online tech trade publication. 

Act sponsors Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn, and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., say they want to get each CEO on the record about whether they will support their legislation and point to the industry’s lobbying efforts as a roadblock to passage, the Verge also reports.