The CEOs of Discord, Steam, Twitch, and Reddit have been called to Congress to testify about the “radicalization of online forum users” on those platforms, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee announced Wednesday.
“Congress has a duty to oversee the online platforms that radicals have used to advance political violence,” said chairman of the House Oversight Committee James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, in a statement. “To prevent future radicalization and violence, the CEOs of Discord, Steam, Twitch, and Reddit must appear before the Oversight Committee and explain what actions they will take to ensure their platforms are not exploited for nefarious purposes.”
Letters from the House Oversight Committee have been sent to Humam Sakhnini, CEO of Discord; Gabe Newell, president of Steam maker Valve; Dan Clancy, CEO of Twitch; and Steve Huffman, CEO of Reddit, requesting their testimony on Oct. 8. “The hearing will examine radicalization of online forum users, including incidents of open incitement to commit violent politically motivated acts,” Comer said in a letter to each CEO.
The catalyst for Comer’s request is the killing of Charlie Kirk, the right-wing political activist and media personality who was shot at Utah Valley University last week. The suspect in that case, Tyler Robinson, is reported to have used Discord to discuss the killing after the fact, and is alleged to have been steeped in online meme culture.
Steam and Discord have long been homes for extremists to gather, coordinate, and harass their perceived enemies, despite both platforms being aimed at gamers and designed originally for non-political purposes. The 2017 white supremacist rally Unite the Right in Charlottesville, Virginia was planned through Discord, and the platform was used by far-right mass shooters in the 2022 Buffalo shooting and the Highland Park Parade shooting. In 2024, the Anti-Defamation League reported that Steam was “rife with extremism and antisemitism” across Steam Community groups. Congress has previously pressed Newell on the “significant presence of users displaying and espousing neo-Nazi, extremist, racial supremacist, misogynistic, and other hateful sentiments” on Steam.
Discord, Steam, Twitch, and Reddit execs will have the chance to deliver five-minute opening statements prior to answering questions posed by members of the committee during October’s testimony.
