Coming Soon: Regulation Of Social Media

Uploaded on 2020-11-25 in INTELLIGENCE--International, GOVERNMENT-National, FREE TO VIEW, BUSINESS-Services-Law, TECHNOLOGY-Key Areas-Social Media

The US elections of 2016 and 2020, a number of significant global events and not least, the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic, have all focused attention on the role of social media and and impact of disinformation and fake news.
 
A number of countries are considering regulating social media and a new report has put forward a range of proposals that its authors say could end the "informational chaos that poses a vital threat to democracies".  The Report is published by the Forum for Information and Democracy, which was established to make non-binding recommendations to 38 countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, South Korea and the United Kingdom.
 
One of its suggestions is that social networks should be required to release details of their algorithms and core functions to trusted researchers, in order for the technology to be vetted. It also suggests adding "friction" to online sharing, to prevent the rampant spread of disinformation.
 
Contributing to the report were Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Christopher Wylie, and former Facebook investor Roger McNamee, free expression advocacy group Article 19 and digital rights groups  the Electronic Frontier Foundation .
 
Recommendations
 
One of the core recommendations is the creation of a "statutory building code", which describes mandatory safety and quality requirements for digital platforms in which social media networks would be required to weigh up all the potential harms that could be caused by their design and engineering decisions. The report also suggests social networks should display a correction to every single person who was exposed to misinformation, if independent fact-checkers identify a story as false.
 
Other suggestions include:
  •  Implementing "circuit breakers" so that newly viral content is temporarily stopped from spreading while it is fact-checked.
  • Forcing social networks to disclose in the news feed why content has been recommended to a user.
  • Limiting the use of micro-targeting advertising messages.
  • Making it illegal to exclude people from content on the basis of race or religion.
  • Banning the use of so-called dark patterns - user interfaces designed to confuse or frustrate the user, such as making it hard to delete your account.
India is Already Taking Action
India’s government has ordered that all online news, social media and video streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime are to be subject to state regulation, raising fears of increased censorship of digital media. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, which regulates and censors print newspapers, television, films and theatre, will also have jurisdiction, under the new order, over digital news and entertainment platforms in India.
  
 Information Democracy:       BBC:       The  Drum:         Guardian: 
 
You Might Also Read: 
 
Social Media: An Exclusive 3 Part Review:
 
 
« Outsourced Cyber Spying
How The Internet Has Transformed Our Lives »

CyberSecurity Jobsite
Perimeter 81
Cyrin

Real Attacks. Real Tools. Real Scenarios.
Schedule a demo

Go Cyber

Training that transforms behaviours

Sign Up: Cyber Security Intelligence Newsletter

Directory of Suppliers

CYRIN

CYRIN

CYRIN® Cyber Range. Real Tools, Real Attacks, Real Scenarios. See why leading educational institutions and companies in the U.S. have begun to adopt the CYRIN® system.

Resecurity, Inc.

Resecurity, Inc.

Resecurity is a cybersecurity company that delivers a unified platform for endpoint protection, risk management, and cyber threat intelligence.

Authentic8

Authentic8

Authentic8 transforms how organizations secure and control the use of the web with Silo, its patented cloud browser.

IT Governance

IT Governance

IT Governance is a leading global provider of information security solutions. Download our free guide and find out how ISO 27001 can help protect your organisation's information.

DigitalStakeout

DigitalStakeout

DigitalStakeout enables cyber security professionals to reduce cyber risk to their organization with proactive security solutions, providing immediate improvement in security posture and ROI.

ZDL Group

ZDL Group

At ZDL (formerly ZeroDayLab) we take a comprehensive view of our clients cyber security risks and provide quality services to address those risk

Academic Centres of Excellence in Cyber Security Research

Academic Centres of Excellence in Cyber Security Research

The ACE-CSRs scheme is part of the UK Government’s National Cyber Security Strategy, working with academia and industry to make the UK more resilient to cyber attacks.

CLUSIL

CLUSIL

CLUSIL is an association for the information security industry in Luxembourg.

ABB

ABB

ABB is a pioneering technology leader in industrial digitalization. Services include cyber security for industrial control systems IoT.

Applied Risk

Applied Risk

Applied Risk is an established leader in Industrial Control Systems security, focused on critical infrastructure security and combating security breaches that pose a significant threat.

TrainACE

TrainACE

TrainACE, is a professional computer training school offering courses in information technology with a focus on Advanced Security training.

Arab Information & Communication Technologies Organization (AICTO)

Arab Information & Communication Technologies Organization (AICTO)

The Arab ICT Organization (AICTO) is an Arab governmental organization working under the aegis of the league of Arab States.

Agesic

Agesic

Agesic is an institution that leads the development of the Digital Government and the Information and Knowledge Society in Uruguay.

NITA Uganda (NITA-U)

NITA Uganda (NITA-U)

NITA-U has put in place the Information security framework to provide Uganda with the necessary process, policies, standards and guideline to help in Information Assurance.

Fortiphyd Logic

Fortiphyd Logic

Fortiphyd Logic equips operators of the power grid, oil & gas, and other critical infrastructure with the tools and training they need to defend their industrial networks from advanced cyberattacks.

PizzlySoft

PizzlySoft

PizzlySoft is a global company that is seeking convergence of network and security / software and hardware. We put our value on creating the best security.

Netizen

Netizen

Netizen is an award-winning company that develops and leverages innovative solutions to enable a more secure cyberspace for clients in government and commercial markets.

Xscale Accelerator

Xscale Accelerator

Xscale's vision is to create world-class startups out of India by transforming sales and providing access to global markets.

AccountabilIT

AccountabilIT

AccountabilIT is a full spectrum information technology services firm for enterprises with complex information technology needs seeking relief from those challenges.

Flow Security

Flow Security

Enterprises run on data, Flow secures it at runtime. With a runtime-first approach, Flow is a game-changer in the data security space, securing data itself, beyond the infrastructure it resides in.

Defendis

Defendis

Defendis develops AI-powered cybersecurity solutions for Government Agencies, Banks, and Businesses, designed to helps them contain data leaks, minimise damage, and proactively hunt for new threats.