Hispanic Caucus pushes YouTube chief for data on misinformation in Spanish

For months, members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus have fumed that YouTube and other social networks haven't forked over enough data about Spanish misinformation on their sites, including how many moderators review such content and how effective they have been.

But they notched a partial victory in a private meeting with YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki on Thursday, where lawmakers said the mogul pledged to finally give them some answers about an issue the caucus considers a major priority.

The group has grown vocal in expressing concern about the spread of Spanish-language misinformation among Latinos, who use social media at higher rates than the general population and have grown more reliant on the networks amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The session, attended by at least a dozen members, came months after the group demanded a face-to-face meeting with top tech executives to air those concerns. For Wojcicki, it also marks a rare swing through Capitol Hill, where she's never testified, unlike many rival CEOs.

Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.), who chairs the caucus, called Wojcicki's willingness to appear in person "a very good faith act and a demonstration that she's willing to answer our questions."

He said the YouTube chief pledged to provide lawmakers with more detailed information about how it deploys resources to deal with misinformation in Spanish, and to expand efforts to ensure "parity" in how the platform moderates non-English content.

Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) said Wojcicki committed to "releasing core internal accountability metrics," including data on how frequently users view Spanish-language content that breaks YouTube's rules. "That's a good start," said Luján, who had called on the company to disclose the metric at an October hearing, to no avail.

But they are still waiting for the company to back up their words. "We are not going to let this go until we see the level of actions that it is warranted, in terms of the resources, in terms of content, in terms of the metrics that they use," Ruiz said during an interview Thursday.

YouTube spokesperson Elena Hernandez said in a statement that the company "had a productive meeting today with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, where we shared the work we do at YouTube to combat harmful misinformation in Spanish."

Hernandez says YouTube has over 20,000 people globally who review content for the site, "including many with Spanish-language expertise," but declined to say how many exactly.

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), who also attended, said YouTube has approached Spanish-language misinformation as a "generic" issue and that it needs to "define a greater sense of how they specifically deal with Hispanic disinformation."

"I don't think that meets the bill," he said of the company's strategy.

While in town, Wojcicki also met with Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, according to a spokesperson.

Warner "pressed Ms. Wojcicki on the need to take more consistent and proactive action and provide data to qualified independent researchers," his spokesperson Valeria Rivadeneira said.

The caucus has also called for meetings with the CEOs of Facebook parent company Meta, Twitter and TikTok to discuss Spanish misinformation. All of the companies confirmed plans to meet with the group, but none committed to sending CEOs.

Jessica Herrera-Flanigan, Twitter's head of public policy and philanthropy for the Americas, and a member of Twitter's safety team is slated to meet with the caucus, Twitter spokesperson Trenton Kennedy said. For TikTok, head of safety Eric Han and U.S. public policy chief Michael Beckerman will huddle with the group, spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter said. Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone said the company is in touch with the caucus about a meeting with an executive.

Twitter has recently been rocked by tech mogul Elon Musk's deal to buy the platform, news that prompted concerns from Democratic lawmakers that the site might backslide in its efforts to curb misinformation.

Ruiz said no matter who owns Twitter, they'll be holding their feet to the fire all the same. "Whether it's Elon Musk or anybody else, we're going to continue to press for the same metrics and transparency and accountability and expect results," he said.