Weeks before Democrats take over control of the House of Representatives, Republicans on the Judiciary Committee are questioning Google CEO Sundar Pichai on issues including transparency, data collection, and filtering.
This is the latest of several hearings Republicans have set up with tech company executives, which they claim have shown liberal bias in their dealings.
Google refused to send a representative the last time the Judiciary interviewed the top brass of social media companies, including Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. But, since then, the Mr Pichai has held closed door meetings with members of Congress to discuss what Republicans have branded as liberal bias at Google.
Follow updates from the hearing below and watch a live stream of the testimony here.
Hello and welcome to our live blog of the congressional testimony of Google CEO Sundar Pichai.
We are waiting on Mr Pichai to arrive.
In attendance in Washington today is Alex Jones, the conservative conspiracy theorist who has had plenty of problems with social media over the past year.
Jones was in attendance the last time tech CEOs came to testify before Congress, and tends to get into squabbles with folks on a regular basis.
We'll see if any Jones news comes out of today's hearing when the Judiciary Committee calls a recess.
Mr Pichai and members of the Judiciary Committee are now arriving.
Mr Goodlatte has opened the hearing, and recognized House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy as a witness.
Mr McCarthy has thanked Mr Pichai, and called Google one of the most valuable companies in the world.
Mr McCarthy cited a Wall Street Journal statistic that said that 90 per cent of internet searches goes through Google.
He has also said that there is a widening gap of trust between users and technology companies. He went on to suggest that political biases must not seep into Google's search product.
Mr McCarthy is now discussing the reported plan by Google to open a censored search engine in China. He then discussed political suppression by the Chinese Communist Party, and suggested that those values run counter to the values of Americans.
Here is a live link to video of the hearing:
The Independent
Watch Google CEO Sundar Pichai face a grilling on privacy by Congress
Mr Picahai has now taken his seat at the witness table.
Chairman Goodlatte says that Google is able to collect an amount of data that would make the "NSA blush".
He said that most Americans probably have no idea how much information Google might be collecting about them when they use the platform.
Chairman Goodlatte has now said he is interested in how Google handles objectionable content.
He also has mentioned algorithmic screening, and the dangers that tinkering with that system could have. He then claimed that some Google employees have considered tinkering with the algorithm.
Chairman Goodlatte is hitting on a lot of issues here, and has now mentioned that Android smartphones are able to collect a massive amount of data from users during the course of the day.
That includes tracking data on movement, and even the mode of transport that someone may take.
Ranking member Jerry Nadler is now giving his opening remarks, after Mr Goodlatte thanked Mr Pichai for attending the hearing.
Mr Nadler has called the idea that Google and other tech companies have anti-conservative bias a "fantasy". He said that he expects Republicans to bring up anecdotes, but that they will provide little evidence of an anti-conservative bias.
Mr Nadler, on the other hand, has suggested that they should be concerned about online efforts to spread disinformation. He referenced the 2016 election, in which Russia attacked the US elections in favour of President Donald Trump.
Mr Nadler has said he is concerned with bugs found in Google's systems that could leave the platform open to exploitation by malicious players, but noted that the company has not seen any indication those bugs had been exploited so far.
Mr Pichai is now being sworn in to the hearing.
Mr Pichai is describing his childhood and the changes that technology had on his life before he moved to the United States 25 years ago.
He has been the CEO of Google for the past three years.
Mr Pichai is noting that Google is a major driver of jobs in the US, and that the company is able to help businesses all across the country.
He noted that the company drives a massive portion of the US economy. He also said that Google works with the government.
"I'm proud to say that we do and we will continue to work with the government to keep our company safe and secure," Mr Pichai said.
Mr Pichai said that Google supports privacy legislation.
Mr Goodlatte has asked if Android phones send information to servers every few minutes, including location, altitude, temperature, and other data points.
Mr Pichai has said that Google goes out of its way to give people the ability to control their privacy.
He said that users have a choice on what data they send, and that some apps — like fitness apps — require certain data collection.
Mr Pichai has said that Google offers privacy checkups in order for users to review what information Google collects on them.
He said that users are able to review data and then to decide if data is stored or deleted. He also said that users can take their data with them if they choose to use other services.
"We want to make this work in a sustainable way," Mr Pichai said of platforms like YouTube, and ensuring that the content is agreeable.
Please allow a moment for the live blog to update
