Facebook, Twitter to face new US probe over censorship concern
San Francisco, Sep 6 : After Wednesday's congressional hearings, Facebook and Twitter will now face questions from the Justice Department (DOJ) over allegations of political bias, an issue flagged by US President Donald Trump.
In a meeting in September, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions, along with state attorneys general, would look into whether Facebook and Twitter are "intentionally stifling the free exchange of ideas on their platforms", CNET reported on Wednesday.
The DOJ announced the meeting on a day when Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg appeared before the US Congress, admitting to the lawmakers that they were "too slow to act" and "ill-prepared" to tackle foreign interference on their platforms.
According to The Washington Post, Sandberg told the US Senate Intelligence Committee that they were too slow to spot this and too slow to act. "That's on us."
The social networking platforms attracted criticism for being vulnerable to Russia-linked influence campaigns. Trump has accused Google, Facebook and Twitter of trying to "silence" conservative voices.
Appearing before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on Wednesday in a hearing on online censorship of conservative opinions and misinformation activities ahead of the 2018 mid-term elections, Dorsey said Twitter will remain an "impartial" "global town square", and it does "not shadow-ban anyone based on political ideology".
"To serve the public conversation, Twitter is incentivised to keep all voices on the platform," he said.
Twitter has constantly denied the claims by Republicans that conservative accounts were shadow-banned or their opinions were censored on the platform.
Earlier in the day, Dorsey testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Russian meddling in the 2016 US election. Following the meeting, Twitter shares fell six per cent on Wednesday, CNBC reported.
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Jharkhand Education Minister Ramdas Soren passes away at 62
Ranchi, Aug 15 (PTI): Jharkhand Education Minister Ramdas Soren died on Friday, JMM national spokesperson Kunal Sarangi said.
He was 62.
Soren was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Delhi, where he was admitted on August 2.
"State Education Minister Ramdas Soren, who was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Delhi, is no more," Sarangi told PTI.
Soren's condition was critical and he was on life support, Sarangi said.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader was airlifted to the hospital in the national capital from Jamshedpur after he fell in the bathroom of his residence on August 2.
A multidisciplinary team of senior specialists was closely monitoring his condition and providing intensive medical care.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren condoled his death.
Hemant Soren, in a post on X, wrote, "Ramdas Da (brother) should not have left us like this. Last greetings to Dada..."
Ramdas Soren, born in Ghorabandha village in East Singhbhum district on January 1, 1963, began his political journey as the gram pradhan of the Ghorabanda panchayat, eventually rising to become one of the most influential ministers in the Hemant Soren-led cabinet.
He won the Ghatshila assembly seat for the third time in 2024 by defeating BJP's Babulal Soren, son of former chief minister Champai Soren.
ऐसे छोड़ कर नहीं जाना था रामदास दा...
— Hemant Soren (@HemantSorenJMM) August 15, 2025
अंतिम जोहार दादा... pic.twitter.com/5cKZkpIe9Z
