10 NEWS IN DEPTH Facebook
Words by Chelsea Fearnley FACEBOOK ON THE ROPES Facebook is taken to task in a new report published by the UK government
o regulate, to not regulate. The debate around the regulation of Facebook and other social media platforms has become a game of
“This report evidences that Facebook’s monopoly and monetisation of non- consensual mass data harvesting, together with bullying tactics and ability to court the powerful, have allowed it a troubling degree of power and have dominated the development of our political communication infrastructure, encouraging and enabling the worst kinds of abuses of power by nefarious actors globally.” She adds: “I am delighted the report evidences the enormity of the recent Cambridge Analytica and Facebook crisis for politics and security in a digital age, not just in Britain but affecting millions around the world. Facebook’s profits are soaring and there has been not nearly enough media coverage to illustrate the significance of what is an extensive and detailed report by the DCMS.” PROPOSALS The report calls on the British government to establish an independent investigation into foreign influence, disinformation, funding, voter manipulation and the sharing of data in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, the 2016 EU referendum and the 2017 general election. It recommends
clear legal guidelines are established for technology companies to act against illegal or harmful content on their sites and calls for a code of ethics defining what constitutes harmful content. It also states an independent regulator should monitor tech companies, backed by statutory powers to launch legal action against companies that breach the code. “It’s great to see it recognises concerns about both foreign influence and lack of transparency in networks of companies that deal in security, commercial and political work – which have huge implications for our democracies and security. It’s also great that the report endorses handling these companies in the influence/strategic communication industry in the UK and US with regulation and licensing,” says Briant. “Most importantly, the report highlights great weaknesses in our electoral law and the need for larger penalties and remedies that would help us understand what really happened in 2016 – the exploitation of a loophole in electoral law to funnel money to the DUP (Northern Ireland’s right wing Democratic Unionist Party) is deeply troubling – our government must allow proper investigation of this.”
The Daisy Oracle (“he loves me, he loves me not”). But what does it really mean to regulate platforms that have become a principle means of communication globally? And are a few regulations all that’s required to rein in the spread of disinformation? And how does regulation keep from becoming? The UK’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee (DCMS) has led an 18-month inquiry into the matter of disinformation and fake news, and its ability to spread unfettered on social media. The investigation concluded in February and a final report was released on its findings and proposals. It reflects heavily on the Cambridge Analytica data-harvesting scandal and the hand Facebook played in swaying votes in the US presidential election and the Brexit referendum. EXPOSURE The report accuses Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg of contempt of Parliament in refusing three separate demands for him to give evidence, instead sending junior employees unable to answer the committee’s questions. It also warns British electoral law is unfit for purpose and vulnerable to interference by hostile foreign actors, including agents of the Russian government attempting to discredit democracy. We spoke to Dr Emma Briant, expert on media and propaganda and researcher for DCMS.
WE CANNOT DO THIS ALONE, IT IS IMPORTANT WE PUSH FOR INTERNATIONAL LEGISLATION AND TRANSNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS TO TAKE THE LEAD
feedzine feed.zine feedmagazine.tv
Powered by FlippingBook