“It almost seems like he wants to give the impression that he wants reform, but when you get to specifics, it’s not at all clear.” “He keeps saying he wants reform, but he’s so vague,” Pallone said. Still, House Energy & Commerce Chair Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), whose panel is hosting Thursday’s session, said Zuckerberg’s proposal seemed more about swaying public opinion than real change. Facebook’s testimony marks one of the most detailed roadmaps offered by the industry to date. Zuckerberg and some prominent tech figures - including from Microsoft, Match Group and Salesforce - have shifted from largely opposing changes to suggesting and endorsing proposals they hope will sway lawmakers.

The issue has emerged as one of the major fronts in the battle between Washington and Silicon Valley, with lawmakers threatening to weaken or remove the protections altogether if tech companies failed to address concerns about their content policies and practices. But his remarks in testimony made public Wednesday were the most detailed yet. Zuckerberg first embraced the idea of updating Section 230 at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing in October, where he suggested lawmakers consider proposals to strengthen “industry collaboration” and to boost transparency about how platforms make decisions on user content. “They want us to focus on putting out fires, and not on the fact that their product is flammable.” “That is a classic example of Facebook hoping that we missed the point,” he said. Malinowski said Congress should focus on making Facebook more legally responsible for the way it amplifies and boosts illicit material, rather than for hosting the content itself. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) and Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.), who on Wednesday reintroduced legislation to make companies liable for amplifying certain types of illegal content like civil rights abuses and foreign terrorism, told reporters on a call that Congress shouldn’t fall for Zuckerberg’s gambit. “Big Tech only wants reform when it bolsters their power at the expense of competitors.” “Section 230 reform will hit Facebook regardless of what these self-interested Silicon Valley CEOs want,” Blackburn said. And she said Facebook should brace for broader changes - whether it likes them or not. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), who has proposed rolling back the protections to address concerns about alleged anti-conservative bias by tech companies, called Zuckerberg’s proposal self-serving.

Others at the forefront of efforts to revamp the legal shield also bristled at Zuckerberg’s suggestion for what the legislative fix should look like.

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