NEWS: Sens. Schiff, Padilla Press Big Tech CEOs on Social Media Platforms’ Efforts to Combat Election Disinformation Amid Trump Admin Election Attacks

"Platforms that condone, support, or advance efforts to disenfranchise U.S. voters will be scrutinized and held accountable, including through oversight and potential legislation"

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla (both-D-Calif.), both members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, pressed the top executives of the largest social media companies about their plans to combat misinformation and disinformation on their platforms ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

"Today, election mis and disinformation remains a serious danger to American democracy and Americans' right to vote, even more so because of the Trump Administration's sustained efforts to diminish the public's trust in elections across the county, including California. Nowhere is that more clear than in the Administration's efforts to influence and deter mail-in voting… As a result, Congress must conduct rigorous oversight over dangerous election mis and disinformation propagated via social media, as we consider investigations and legislation to remedy it and prevent it from happening in current and future elections," the Senators wrote.

In their inquiry, the lawmakers note how the Trump administration's efforts to sow mistrust in the upcoming elections and advances in artificial intelligence are creating new opportunities for large-scale election mis and disinformation and demonstrate the need for social media companies to do their part to protect election integrity. The lawmakers note that in recent years, the companies have continued to retreat from the responsibility of ensuring that information online is accurate.

"We take our constitutional duty to protect shared democratic principles seriously. Your thorough and prompt responses to these inquiries are required for these efforts, as they will inform our work on legislative solutions to strengthen federal elections and combat large-scale mis and disinformation. Platforms that condone, support, or advance efforts to disenfranchise U.S. voters will be scrutinized and held accountable, including through oversight and potential legislation," the Senators wrote.

The Senators are requesting answers on the companies' policies to identify and respond to election mis and disinformation, what actions they will be taking for the 2026 midterm elections, the steps to ensure that the Supreme Court's mail-in ballot ruling is not subject to mis and disinformation campaigns that undermine the integrity of mail-in voting, and whether they've received requests from the Trump admin relating to election security. They're also asking the companies to ensure to preserve all records and communications on this on an ongoing basis.

The inquiry is being sent to xAI's CEO Elon Musk, Google's CEO Sundar Pichai, TikTok's CEO Adam Presser, Snap, Inc's CEO Evan Spiegel, YouTube's CEO Neal Mohan, Meta Platform's CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri.

The full text of the letter is available here and below:

Dear Mr. Musk, Mr. Presser, Mr. Mohan, Mr. Mosseri, Mr. Pichai, Mr. Spiegel, and Mr. Zuckerberg:

We are writing to seek information regarding your plans to combat misinformation and disinformation on your social media platforms during the 2026 midterm elections. As you know, the Supreme Court recently rejected mail ballot restrictions proposed by the Trump Administration. This is now the law of the land, and it is your responsibility to ensure that widespread mis and disinformation about our electoral system does not take hold on your platforms.

In 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, we led members of Congress in writing to your companies regarding the spread of mis and disinformation on your platforms leading up to the 2024 elections. Despite the ongoing spread of false and misleading content on social media sites, your companies have for years "retreated from some of [your] past commitments to promote election integrity."

Today, election mis and disinformation remains a serious danger to American democracy and Americans' right to vote, even more so because of the Trump Administration's sustained efforts to diminish the public's trust in elections across the county, including California. Nowhere is that more clear than in the Administration's efforts to influence and deter mail-in voting. For example, on September 15, 2026, President Trump reacted angrily to the Supreme Court's 7-2 decision with a false claim that mail-in voting is "totally corrupt and out of control." President Trump even criticized his own Supreme Court nominees for supposedly "mak[ing] cheating by Radical Left [Democrats], on Mail-In Ballots, a much easier thing to do."6 As a result, Congress must conduct rigorous oversight over dangerous election mis and disinformation propagated via social media, as we consider investigations and legislation to remedy it and prevent it from happening in current and future elections.

President Trump's self-serving partisan attacks are not the only new challenge to election integrity. Advances in artificial intelligence and chatbots are creating new opportunities for large-scale election mis and disinformation by both foreign and domestic actors. To be sure, addressing false information about the process of voting is entirely different than censoring a point of view. For example, using social media to tell citizens that Election Day is on Wednesday or that mail-in ballots are illegal is simply election interference. Meanwhile, your companies have continued to retreat from the responsibility of ensuring that information online is accurate. Under the circumstances, Congress has no choice but to carefully scrutinize how social media platforms respond to large-scale election mis and disinformation, both before and after the 2026 midterm elections, which are already underway.

Congress's Constitutional power to conduct investigations stands on equal footing with its authority to legislate and appropriate. To that end, please provide by October 15, 2026, a detailed written response regarding your company's current policies to identify and respond to election mis and disinformation and what actions you will be taking for the 2026 midterm elections, along with written answers to the following questions:

1. What steps are you taking to ensure that the Supreme Court's clear ruling that state's mail-in ballot procedures must not be disturbed for the November 2026 midterm elections is not subject to mis and disinformation campaigns that undermine the integrity of mail-in voting? For example, if a campaign alleges that mail-in voting is not permitted in California for the November 2026 midterm elections, how will you ensure that false statement is addressed?
2. Has your company received any communications from the Trump Administration related to election security or the United States Postal Service's procedures for mail-in ballots? If so, what instructions or requests did you receive, and how have you engaged with them?
3. Do you currently have any plans to change your election integrity policies between now and Election Day 2026 (November 3, 2026)? If so, please describe the changes and the reasoning for any particular change.
4. How will your company address mis and disinformation made by political actors, verified accounts, or synthetic accounts, and how will they be treated differently, if at all, compared to ordinary users?
5. What are your companies' plans for keeping Congress fully informed about mis and disinformation campaigns and potential changes in your companies' election integrity policies?

These records are needed for the U.S. Senate to exercise its essential oversight and legislative functions. We further request that you preserve all records and communications relating to the topics addressed in this letter, from January 1, 2025, to the present and continue preserving such materials on an ongoing basis. This preservation hold applies to all relevant records within your possession and any person or entity representing or purporting to be acting on your behalf. This includes, but is not limited to, records and communications via email, whether official or personal; mobile devices; encrypted or disappearing messaging applications; social media; calendar entries; meeting notes; and voicemail and text messages. To the extent that you use any auto-delete functions, you should immediately suspend auto-delete functions and notify persons with control over potentially relevant records of similar preservation obligations.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. We take our constitutional duty to protect shared democratic principles seriously. Your thorough and prompt responses to these inquiries are required for these efforts, as they will inform our work on legislative solutions to strengthen federal elections and combat large-scale mis and disinformation. Platforms that condone, support, or advance efforts to disenfranchise U.S. voters will be scrutinized and held accountable, including through oversight and potential legislation. We look forward to your prompt response, including a written confirmation that you are preserving all records related to this congressional inquiry.

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