Big tech refuses to speak to Dutch parliament about election influencing

Facebook, TikTok, X, and Google have refused to send representatives to the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament, to explain their activities during the election campaign. GroenLinks-PvdA, PVV, NSC, D66, BBB, and Volt had invited the big tech companies to discuss “algorithms and interference” during the election campaign, but the companies declined or did not respond, NOS reports.

The political parties want to know to what extent Dutch voters are being influenced on these platforms, and what the platforms are doing about it. “Everywhere in Europe, you see elections under pressure,” GroenLinks-PvdA MP Barbara Kathmann told NOS. She referred to the presidential elections in Romania, where interference occurred according to the local authorities. “We want to know what the tech companies can do to prevent this from happening.”

The invitation to the tech companies raises concerns about “possible manipulation of the Romanian elections” and reports from the Dutch counterterrorism and intelligence agencies NCTV and AIVD that “radicalization in all forms” is being fueled online, possibly by the effects of “recommendation algorithms.” These algorithms determine what someone sees, partly based on their interests, but also on what’s popular at the time.

”All information that comes to people naturally has an influence, including traditional channels. But those algorithms try to trap people,” the BBB said.

TikTok and X haven’t responded to the parliamentarians’ invitation. Google informed the Tweede Kamer that the invitation arrived “only this week” and that it was “too short notice” to include in the agenda.

D66 parliamentarian Hanneke van der Werf thinks that the big tech companies have no interest in visiting parliament because they make a lot of money with these kinds of posts. “But we want to keep our democracy clean,” she told NOS.

Volt MP Marieke Koekkoek can’t understand why these companies won’t send someone to speak with parliament. “They are large multinationals that employ a lot of people, and this is about our democracy. We are not asking this lightly.”

GroenLinks-PvdA MP Karthmann agrees. “You’re invited to a meeting about the security of our elections. They’re all companies with more than 10,000 employees. I read it like you’re too lazy to come,” she said. “I really hope they answer the phone when Prime Minister Schoof calls to say something’s wrong.”