VOA常速英语:Tech Faces a Year of Scrutiny and Change

With a new Congress and a new U.S president, technology companies are facing intensified pressure to crack down on extremism and disinformation on their services.
美国迎来新总统新国会，科技公司正面临着更大的压力，以打击极端主义和虚假信息。
Lawmakers say theyre ready to act.
议员表示，他们已经做好了行动的准备。
"History has shown that you have talked the talk but have failed to walk the walk.
"历史已经表明，你们说过要采取的措施，但没有做到。
It appears now that Congress will have to compel you, compel you perhaps with penalties to make meaningful changes."
现在看来，国会将不得不迫使你们，或许用惩罚措施来迫使你们做出有意义的改变。"
At a recent congressional hearing, the CEOs of Facebook, Twitter and Alphabet, the parent of Google defended steps they have taken to combat hate and disinformation on their sites.
在最近的一次国会听证会上，脸书、推特和谷歌母公司阿尔法特的首席执行官们为他们在各自网站上打击仇恨和虚假信息所采取的措施进行辩护。
Facebook for example has taken down 12 million items bearing erroneous claims about COVID-19 in vaccines and says it has 35,000 employees working on disinformation.
例如，脸书已经下架了1200万条关于新冠肺炎疫苗的错误说法，并表示有3.5万名员工负责处理虚假信息。
But those steps dont seem to satisfy many members of Congress,some of whom say the social media firms use algorithms that push people to more extremist views,
但这些措施似乎并不能让许多国会议员满意，其中一些人说，社交媒体公司使用的算法可以将人们推向更极端的观点，
possibly leading to real-world consequences such as the attack of the US capital in January.
可能导致现实世界的后果，如1月份美国首都的袭击。
"That attack and the movement that motivated started and was nourished on your platforms,
"那场袭击和激发的运动是在你们的平台上开始和增长，
you are picking engagement and profit over the health and safety of your users, our nation and our democracy."
参与和利润在你们那儿已经超过了用户的健康和安全，超过了我们的国家和民主。"
"Your platforms are my biggest fear as a parent. Im a mom of three school-aged kids.
“你们的平台是我为人父母最大的担忧，我现在是三个学生的妈妈。
Its a battle for their development, a battle for their mental health, and ultimately a battle for their safety.
这是为他们的成长而战，为他们的心理健康而战，最终也是为他们的安全而战。
Ive monitored your algorithms, Ive monitored where your algorithms lead them. Its frightening and I know that Im not alone."
我密切关注过你们的算法，我关注过你们的算法把他们引向何方。这很可怕，我知道有这种担忧的不只是我一个人。"
The three CEOs say they face an enormous challenge in providing a place for free expression while combating misinformation.
三位CEO表示，他们面临着巨大的挑战，既要为自由表达提供场所，又要打击错误信息。
In many ways their struggle reflects whats happening in society, says Zuckerberg.
扎克伯格说，在很多方面，他们的斗争反映了社会上发生的事情。
"I believe that the division we see today is primarily the result of a political and media environment that drives Americans apart."
"我相信，我们今天看到的分裂主要是政治和媒体环境造成的，促使美国人分裂。"
Lawmakers are considering making companies liable for speech on their sites that incites violence or spreads misinformation that could cost peoples lives.
议员正在考虑让公司对其网站上煽动暴力或传播错误信息的言论负责，这些言论可能会让人们失去生命。
"The question is how can these companies be held liable in a way that actually incentivizes them to take meaningful steps to reduce harmful content on their platforms."
"问题是，如何能以一种实际激励他们采取有意义的措施来减少其平台上的有害内容的方式来追究这些公司的责任。"
But theres a risk that such a move could cause companies to crack down too hard on speech, say some observers.
但一些观察员表示，这样的举动有可能导致公司对言论的打击过于严厉。
"Theres a real risk that if the companies are made liable or put on the hook for political speech or for polarizing speech that
"有一个真正的风险是，如果让这些公司为政治言论或极化言论承担责任或背上黑锅，
they over-correct in the other direction and they silence the voices of people that are trying to have their opinion shared."
那么他们会往另一个方向过度纠正，从而压制了人们试图分享意见的声音。"
Whats certain is the social media firms are under pressure to show theyre taking action against its disinformation while lawmakers figure out how to make them do that.
可以肯定的是，社交媒体公司面临着压力，要表明他们正在对其虚假信息采取行动，而议员则在想办法让他们那样做。