Republican-led committee plans to ask CEOs of Discord, Steam, Twitch, and Reddit about the ‘radicalization’ of users.
Published On 17 Sep 2025
A Republican-led House panel has asked the CEOs of Discord, Steam, Twitch, and Reddit to testify before Congress next month, following the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk[1].
In letters sent to each of the four executives on Wednesday, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer notes that the hearing is intended to “examine radicalization of online forum users, including incidents of open incitement to commit violent politically motivated acts”.
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Neither Meta nor X, which are far more widely used than the other social platforms, were asked to testify.
“The politically motivated assassination of Charlie Kirk claimed the life of a husband, father, and American patriot,” Comer wrote in a statement.
“In the wake of this tragedy, and amid other acts of politically motivated violence, Congress has a duty to oversee the online platforms that radicals have used to advance political violence.”
Renewed focus has been placed on social platforms in the wake of Kirk’s assassination. The suspect in his murder, Tyler Robinson, 22, appeared to have an active online presence and was deeply steeped in gaming and meme culture. News reports suggest that Robinson confessed to the shooting in a chat on the messaging platform Discord.
While a number of leading Republicans have sought to present the murder as part of a vast[2], left-wing “terror movement”, evidence provided by police thus far suggests he acted alone.
Activists and officials on the right, meanwhile, have been pressuring[3] employers to fire staff who made social media comments that appeared to celebrate Kirk’s death, or even those who simply posted[4] remarks critical of Kirk.
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Earlier this week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the government would revoke the visas of foreigners celebrating the death of Kirk, while Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Department of Justice would “go after you if you are targeting anyone with hate speech” – remarks she later had to walk back.
Free speech advocates have raised alarm, noting that free expression is protected under the Constitution.
References
- ^ assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk (www.aljazeera.com)
- ^ part of a vast (www.aljazeera.com)
- ^ pressuring (www.aljazeera.com)
- ^ simply posted (www.aljazeera.com)