There has long been talk about regulating social media, but the recent revelations about how Russians tried to use social media, in particular Facebook, to manipulate voters, have some in Congress really considering the idea. A recently leaked white paper reveals some of the details.
“Multiple sessions in Congress over the past year have looked at the failures of digital platforms such as Facebook, Google, and Twitter, including their failure to limit the actions of trolls spreading misinformation during the 2016 election,” the Columbia Journalism Review reported.
One representative leading the charge is Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, who has been circulating a policy discussion paper, according to a report from Axios. Axios obtained a copy of the paper from an unknown source.
“The ideas are designed to address three broad categories: misinformation, disinformation, and the exploitation of these technologies; privacy and data protection; and competition. (On the last point, the good news for tech platforms is that even Warner isn’t calling for them to be broken up. The paper does not, in other words, challenge the idea that social networks of these size should exist.),” The Verge reported.
There are several suggestions on how to have more control over social media, including labeling bots.
“Experts say they are just one part of the problem, and that the behavior of what are sometimes called ‘cyborgs’—partially automated accounts run by human beings—is also important. And while anonymity can be a shield for some trolls, others are more than happy to engage in all kinds of bad behavior under their real names,” the Columbia Journalism Review reported.
There is also an idea being floated of creating a U.S. version of the GDPR; designating platforms as “information fiduciaries.” This would have a legal responsibility of protecting data while empowering the Federal Trade Commission to create rules concerning data privacy. There is a proposal to create “a legislative ban on dark patterns that trick users into accepting terms and conditions without reading them; allow the government to audit corporate algorithms,” The Verge reported.
But one of the most important changes the Warner paper ponders is an amendment to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which gives the platforms immunity from prosecution for content uploaded by their users.
“Since some users complain harassing material is often re-uploaded after being removed, the paper recommends Section 230 be amended so the platforms could face sanctions if they don’t prevent this,” the Columbia Review of Journalism reported.
Some experts say this could cause some erosion to the free speech protections Section 230 is created to protect.
Leaked White Paper | Potential Policy Proposals For Regulation of Social Media and Technology Firms | Published on – https://t.co/Klt80G0XEM #FREESPEECH #Censorship #Facebook pic.twitter.com/PTpONoLLYJ
— Brent Stafford (@brentstafford) August 12, 2018
