Tech giants Facebook, Google and Twitter will likely face increased scrutiny for their role in the buildup to the deadly riots at the US Capitol this week. With Democrats about to control both the Senate and the House of Representatives, there’s renewed focus on regulation to tamp down the social media platforms’ outsized reach and influence. 

The violence that erupted Wednesday afternoon when a mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the US Capitol during the vote to confirm President-elect Joe Biden’s victory has spurred some Democrats to call for stricter regulations on the companies. Twitter and Facebook each suspended Trump’s accounts for incendiary comments following the riots, but some lawmakers said it was too little, too late. 

All of this comes after Democrats won control of the Senate with victories in the two runoff elections in Georgia on Tuesday. Raphael Warnock won his race against Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Jon Ossoff defeated Republican Sen. David Purdue to give the Senate a 50-50 split between Democrats and Republicans. The new senators will be sworn in later this month, following the election’s certification. With Vice President-elect Kamala Harris the tie-breaking vote in the chamber, Democrats will have more power to push legislation through committees in the Senate and get it to the floor for a vote. 

This will give Democrats greater influence to push their tech agendas, which already included skepticism about the size and power of big tech companies. The terrifying scenes at the Capitol on Wednesday and the frustration over the role that social media has played in amplifying violence and misinformation will likely spur lawmakers, especially Democrats into action.

“The scrutiny that already existed is now being multiplied 10 times,” said Gigi Sohn, a fellow at the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy.

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