Since the riots at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, Facebook has come under renewed scrutiny for its algorithm that recommends content to users. For example, several reports have found that the social media giant is showing ads for combat gear to potentially militant users, further stoking potential violence. And now, a prominent U.S. lawmaker is demanding that Facebook explains why it has not solved its content recommendation problem.

Sen. Ed Markey wrote an open letter to Facebook this week saying that the company’s recommendation algorithm could contribute to creating groups that are “breeding grounds for hate, echo chambers of misinformation, and venues for coordination of violence.”

“Users organize and coordinate violent and anti-democratic efforts on these pages, but Facebook does not just allow these dangerous pages to exist on its platform, it recommends them to users,” Sen. Markey wrote. “Unfortunately, it appears that Facebook has failed to keep commitments on this topic that you made to me, other members of Congress, and your users.”

Markey went on to demand that Facebook conducts a thorough review of its practices, and offer a detailed explanation to the public. Of course, Facebook has faced many similar calls before, and little has changed. Still, here’s hoping that enough public pressure is placed on the company to force it to improve in this area.

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