Mark Zuckerberg’s testimony in front of several dozen senators Tuesday is likely to produce confrontational sound bites from lawmakers of both parties. Whether fiery hearings will lead to legislative action is far less clear, though there are signs that Facebook’s CEO will contend with more hostility from Washington in the coming months.
Facebook will be a test case for legislators contemplating ways to rein in internet companies, which face few federal laws regulating the collection and use of personal information. The new politics around big tech might diverge from traditional party lines, lobbyists, congressional aides and other Washington insiders said, where Republicans resist regulation and Democrats are more open to it. And a few members of each party, profiled below, are likely to hold outsize influence in the debate.
