The House Oversight Committee has requested that the CEOs of Discord, Twitch, Reddit, and the gaming platform Steam testify on October 8. The hearing will focus on their platforms’ alleged involvement in online radicalization and the incitement to commit politically motivated acts.
In a statement, Representative James Comer, the chairman of the Oversight Committee, referenced the murder of Charlie Kirk and other acts of politically motivated violence. He stated that Congress has a duty to oversee the online platforms that radicals have used to advance political violence. He said that to prevent future radicalization and violence, the CEOs must appear before the committee to explain what actions they will take to ensure their platforms are not exploited for nefarious purposes.
Discord told TechCrunch it looked forward to testifying in October. A spokesperson said the company continuously engages with policymakers on these critical issues and looks forward to continuing this dialogue next month.
Reddit stated it was investigating the link between its platform and Kirk’s death. The company said it has not yet seen proof that the suspect was an active Reddit user. It also noted that Reddit has strong policies against hateful content and content that incites, encourages, glorifies, or calls for violence.
Charlie Kirk was a prominent conservative activist and a close ally of President Trump. The suspect, Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah resident, was arrested for shooting and killing Kirk last week while Kirk spoke at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
Robinson appeared to have confessed to committing the crime in a chat on Discord shortly before his arrest. The bullets used in the shooting were also apparently engraved with memes and references to video games.