Hawley Launches Investigation Into Google After 'Shocking' Child Trafficking Testimony

Senator Josh Hawley launched an investigation into Google on Wednesday after what he called 'shocking' testimony at a Senate hearing revealed the tech giant's alleged failures to remove child sexual abuse material from its platforms — testimony that came just one day after Tim Tebow told Congress that approximately 89,000 victims of online child sexual exploitation remain unidentified. Hawley's probe escalates congressional pressure on Big Tech companies that critics say have failed to protect children despite having the technological capability to do so. The investigation arrives as the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children reports record numbers of exploitation tips each year, and as courts weigh landmark cases against social media companies over their role in enabling harm to minors. For the tens of thousands of children whose abuse is documented in images and videos circulating online, the question is not whether Google has the technology to find and remove the material — it's whether the company has the will.