谷歌（Google）的桑德爾·皮查伊拒絕在參議院情報委員會（Senate Intelligence Committee）下周的聽證會上作證，招致了兩黨的批評。不過委員會主席表示他不太可能發傳票強迫這位首席執行官屆時出席。

被問到是否考慮采取這一措施時，北卡羅來納州的參議員理查德·波爾表示：“我一般不會以發傳票作為解決問題的手段。谷歌的選擇是不參與制定解決方案。這是他們的決定。”

據說，Twitter Inc.的首席執行官杰克·多西和Facebook Inc.的首席運營官雪莉·桑德伯格都計劃在9月5日出席有關社交媒體和俄羅斯干預大選的參議院聽證會。

Alphabet公司旗下的谷歌之前曾宣布會派出全球事務高級副總裁肯特·沃克。公司曾在周二表示，負責監督和處理外國干涉事務的沃克會前往華盛頓，在聽證會那天與議員會面。

不過委員會的女發言人稱，波爾向皮查伊求證之后，在周四表示沃克在公司內部的層級不夠高。這位參議員表示，是否要派遣合適的人員面對委員會取決于谷歌。該委員會正在調查俄羅斯干預美國大選、操縱社交媒體的事件。

開放的坐席

波爾表示：“坐席就在那，名牌也在那。如果他們希望我們給名牌填個名字，我會填的。”

議員們對于谷歌十分失望，而特朗普總統也從另一個方面批評了這家互聯網搜索服務提供商。特朗普本周二發布推文稱，谷歌把特朗普的負面信息列在前面，打壓支持特朗普的新聞。谷歌回應道：“搜索不是用于制定政治議程的，我們也不會讓搜索結果偏袒任何政治意識形態。”

唐納德·J·特朗普@realDonaldTrump：谷歌搜索“特朗普+新聞”，結果只有假新聞的觀點和報道。換句話說，谷歌暗箱操縱了我和其他一些人的搜索結果，所以，幾乎全部的故事和新聞都是負面的。CNN的假新聞被排在前面。共和黨、保守派和公正的媒體聲音卻被屏蔽。這難道不違法嗎？96%的……

情報委員會里兩個黨派的人士都力挺波爾，批評皮查伊下周不準備派人出席聽證會的做法。情報委員會的民主黨領袖、弗吉尼亞州參議員馬克·沃納表示谷歌派出沃克而不是更高級別的官員，是在犯“嚴重的錯誤”。

他說：“他的級別和我們不相配。”

緬因州的無黨派人士、參議員安格斯·金贊同民主黨的意見，他表示谷歌和其他公司都應該派首席執行官出席聽證會。

金表示：“這是美國參議院，這是個重要的議題，我們理應得到決策者而不是執行者的說明。”

委員會之前就召集過Facebook、Twitter和谷歌的律師進行聽證。今年4月，Facebook的首席執行官馬克·扎克伯格在眾議院和參議院委員會的聽證會上發表了陳述，不過他并未面對過參議院情報委員會。（財富中文網）

譯者：嚴匡正?

Google’s Sundar Pichai is facing bipartisan criticism for refusing to testify at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing next week, but the panel’s chairman signaled he’s unlikely to issue a subpoena to force the chief executive officer to appear.

“I don’t normally subpoena people to be part of the solution,” Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina said when asked if he’s considering such a step. “Google chooses not to participate and being part of the solution. That’s a decision they made.”

Twitter Inc. CEO Jack Dorsey and Facebook Inc. Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg are said to be planning to testify at the Sept. 5 Senate committee hearing on social media and Russian meddling.

Alphabet Inc.’s Google previously announced it would send Kent Walker, its senior vice president for global affairs. The company said Tuesday that Walker, who’s overseeing its efforts to tackle foreign interference, will be in Washington and available to meet with lawmakers on the day of the hearing.

But Burr — who had asked Pichai to testify — said Thursday that Walker wasn’t sufficiently high up in the company, according to a panel spokeswoman. The senator said it’s up to Google whether to send someone acceptable to appear before the committee, which is investigating Russian interference in U.S. elections and its manipulation of social media.

Open Chair

“The chair will be there, the nameplate will be there,” Burr said. “If they want us to fill in a name, I will.”

Lawmakers’ frustration with Google comes as President Donald Trump opened criticism of the dominant internet search provider on another front. He asserted in a tweet on Tuesday that Google promotes anti-Trump search results and suppresses pro-Trump news. The company responded that “search is not used to set a political agenda and we don’t bias our results toward any political ideology.”

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Google search results for “Trump News” shows only the viewing/reporting of Fake News Media. In other words, they have it RIGGED, for me & others, so that almost all stories & news is BAD. Fake CNN is prominent. Republican/Conservative & Fair Media is shut out. Illegal? 96% of….

Burr was joined by Intelligence Committee members of both parties in criticizing Pichai’s plans to be a no-show next week. Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the Intelligence panel’s top Democrat, said Google is making a “great mistake” by offering to send Walker and not a higher-level official.

“That’s not the level that we should have,” he said.

Senator Angus King, a Maine independent who caucuses with Democrats, said Google and the other companies should all send their CEOs.

“This is the United States Senate, this is an important issue, and we deserve to hear from the decision-makers, not the people who carry out the decisions,” King said.

The panel previously held a hearing with lawyers for Facebook, Twitter and Google. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified at House and Senate committee hearings in April though not before the Senate Intelligence panel.