Holding Big Tech Accountable – A lot Extra To Be Finished, Particularly With Social Media

Section 230 is the Communications Decency Act. Online platforms such as Twitter or Facebook are subject to this section. … [+]You are not treated as a publisher and therefore are not responsible for user contributions.

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The House of Representatives’ Communications and Technology Subcommittee (the Energy and Trade Committee) continued to hear testimonies about “big tech” this week, including social media platforms.

Frances Haugen, a Facebook whistleblower, testified during the hearings: “Holding Big Tech Accountable: Targeted Reforms for Tech’s Legal Immunity”. Kara Frederick (Heritage Foundation Research Fellow in Technology Policy) also gave testimony. She explained the problems that need to be solved. Haugen talked about using the social media divisive algorithm, and Frederick said the same. He also criticized Republican lawmakers for ignoring right-wing views.

It is unclear how much liability social media platforms should have for content uploaded to their pages.

“These platforms do not want to be held accountable and the users who are harmed deserve better of us and we will act,” said Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Penn), subcommittee chairman.

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act states that social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter are not considered publishers. You can therefore not take any responsibility for the content of the users. Critics warn that they can have either – claiming not to be responsible for what was said but removing posts they believe violate their own community standards.

“Somehow they exist on a completely different level and are allowed to have completely different rules than everyone else,” said Rashad Robinson, President of Color of Change, one of the witnesses at the hearing on Wednesday. The fact is, freedom of expression does not mean freedom from its consequences.

Partisan column

Legislators on both sides of the aisle agree that there is a problem – but they cannot agree what the problem actually is!

“Frances Haugen’s whistleblowing is drowned out as Congress returns to its old dog-whistles, where Republicans see the platforms as dead-mouth Conservative voices and Democrats see that they have monopoly powers and not do enough to break out misinformation,” Bhaskar Chakravorti – Dean, global business, Tufts University Fletcher School – explained by email.

“At the same time, the Biden government has put together a who’s who of die-hard tech stars – Messrs. Wu, Khan, Kanter and Chopra. Chakravorti stated that this all boils down to rhetoric over solid strategy. “While there are many legitimate reasons for framing these platforms and visionary policies to govern them, we seem to be clinging to partisan leadership that does not have the courage to move forward. We’re left to the whistling in the dark thanks to both the whistleblowers and the dog whistlers.

Does anyone have to be held accountable?

Most people in technology see the problem but think that not enough is being done.

“Whether enough is done – the answer is no. Big tech – from search engines to social platforms – has a huge trust problem for many people. Many worry that their data will be sold and that there is the possibility of a shadow ban, public opinion distortion, or other issues. ”Tom Garrubba was vice president of Shared Assessments. The global membership organization aims to help people identify the most effective practices, training, and tools that can be used to increase third party risk insurance.

“As a government and society, we are doing nothing to hold ‘big tech’ accountable,” warned Jane Grafton, vice president of cybersecurity research firm Gurucul. It’s not just social media. Face recognition software and other machine learning technologies are abused in practice. They are biased towards certain situations and demographics. Deepfakes won’t stop swaying national opinion. Many strategic decisions are driven by the profit motive of big tech firms.

The problem with social media has grown because the platforms are so widespread – but remain completely unregulated.

Grafton stated via email that “Social media platforms started out benignly but have grown to the point where they reveal extreme opinions and even lies to their oversized audiences.” While getting social media off the political stage might be the ideal, it is almost unlikely. Everyday users of social media platforms need to become more aware of how unsupported statements can suppress reality in their daily conversations. Maybe we can help people using social media or other technology that has the potential to cause harm.

You are a publisher

According to conservatives, the social networks want Section 230 to keep protecting them. However, they also have the option to suppress or ban opinions that are not their favorites. Republican lawmakers believe that social media platforms must be treated like publishers to lose that protection.

“A lot of big tech companies have become today’s town bakers – roles that evolved organically and were designed by themselves. Garrubba said one problem is that user PII or personally identifiable information (personally identifiable information) is being sold to high bidders such as marketing firms.

He added that another area of ​​concern is what many see as the “revolving door” between the federal government and big tech positions. If there is a time of reckoning in legislation for big tech companies, the position of former colleagues and friends in positions helping liaise with big tech companies as well as those working on public order could soften the legislation. This is also the reason why some of the biggest tech players are diversifying – to fend off potential antitrust laws. “

Unanswered questions like “Is a free and open discussion silenced?”

Garrubba stated that some claim that even a sexist comment on an election or public issue could result in someone being excluded from and from major technology platforms. This can have a chilling effect on public discourse. China is believed to have used social scoring, which determines people’s privileges and travel options, as well as their labor rights. This is something that some in America and other countries are concerned about. They find it particularly worrying, especially when the final umpires are big tech.