Lawmakers and activists are taking aim at Facebook, Google and Twitter for playing an indirect role in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol after outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump incited a mob to protest the outcome of the 2020 election. All three firms took measures to boot Trump off their platforms temporarily in the aftermath, though as of Friday, his Twitter account had been restored. (The Washington Post, The Logic)

Talking point: Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal said social media companies bore “major responsibility for ignoring repeated red flags and demands for fixes.” Blumenthal will play a primary role in an upcoming tech-focused congressional panel. Google’s new union, the Alphabet Workers Union, also criticized subsidiary YouTube for merely removing Trump’s videos and not banning his account entirely, calling the reaction “lackluster.” Meanwhile, both Apple and Google face calls from the activist group Sleeping Giants to ban the social media network Parler, which brands itself as a hub for free speech and hosts a number of far-right figures, from their app stores. Parler users include Fox News commentator Sean Hannity and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, who has repeatedly questioned the legitimacy of President-elect Joe Biden’s win, and protested a congressional certification vote of the elections earlier this week.