WASHINGTON: One option to make social media less harmful would be to create a dedicated regulatory agency to oversee companies like Facebook, which may have former tech workers on staff, Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen told Congress on Tuesday.
“At the moment, the only people in the world who … have been trained to understand what’s going on inside Facebook are people who grew up inside Facebook or Pinterest or any other social media company, ‘ he said during the hearing of https://www. before the Senate Commerce Committee panel reuters.com/technology/facebook-whistleblower-say-former-employer-an-urgent-threat-us-2021-10-05.
How social media companies should be regulated has been the subject of intense debate among lawmakers, regulators and experts. Facebook, the world’s largest social network, has been decimated by a lack of transparency in how its platform works, its handling of user data, and the impact of its sites on users.
Haugen, a former product manager at the company that leaked internal documents to the Wall Street Journal, said the profit motive was so strong that Facebook, which owns Instagram, would not change without pressure. “Unless the incentives on Facebook change, we shouldn’t expect Facebook to change. We need action from Congress.”
Haugen also said that if she is made CEO of Facebook, she would immediately establish a policy that would allow it to share internal research with Congress and other oversight bodies, including transparency and public scrutiny of Facebook’s systems and decisions. will be demanded.
Stanford Law School professor Nathaniel Persili, who resigned last year to Facebook over the purpose of sharing more data with researchers, argued for legislation to force social media companies to share their data with outside researchers. Have given.
“Platforms thrive on privacy and if you subject them to external review, it will change their behavior,” he said.
Persili said action was needed within the next year, so he backed the Federal Trade Commission to manage the process. “You go to war with your army, not the army you want,” he said, although he added that a new cabinet department could be created later.
Former Facebook executive Brian Boland, who was in charge of the company’s partnership data before resigning this year, said improving transparency was “the first step in any kind of regulatory regime.”
Tom Wheeler, who was chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, said he envisions a new, separate agency with the bandwidth and expertise to set and enforce standards for Big Tech, including privacy.
On Tuesday, Facebook spokeswoman Lena Pietsch said the company itself had long asked for government oversight. “We’ve been calling ourselves for updated rules for two and a half years,” she said.
Facebook previously sought regulation https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/24/facebooks-nick-clegg-a-bipartisan-approach-to-break-the-deadlock-on-internet-regulation.html is of. Internet including a digital regulator.
Some commentators cautioned around the idea: Kyle Taylor, program director for a group of critics called the Real Facebook Oversight Board, said a regulation was necessary, but added that the body of former employees of social media companies was “revolving around”. Warned against making “Walla Darwaza”. .
Kate Klonick, an assistant professor at St John’s University Law School who studies social media governance, tweeted that such an agency should not be in charge of misinformation as an issue.
regulation and reform
During Tuesday’s hearing, Haugen encouraged lawmakers to reform Section 230. He urged changes to the law to hold companies accountable for their algorithms, which often dictate what social media users see when they sign in.
“They (companies) have 100% control over their algorithms and Facebook should not get a free pass on options to prioritize development and virginity and responsiveness over public safety. They should not get free passes on that as they are paying their profits with our security right now,” she said.
Facebook has said it is in favor of reforming Section 230 to exempt companies from liability if they follow best practices.
At the hearing, lawmakers did not balk at Haugen’s suggestions for various reforms, but pointed to legislation with similar aims, in many cases.
A bipartisan group of senators, including Richard Blumenthal and Marsha Blackburn, introduced a bill in June that would require large Internet platforms to allow users to view content that is not decided by an algorithm.
Haugen encouraged raising the age limit for users of Facebook’s platform from 13 to 16 or 18, given the issues of addiction on the sites and children’s issues with self-regulation.
Under current law, children 12 and under have more protection online than teenagers. There is a bill before Congress to raise the age of 15, among other changes.
Facebook announced in late September, shortly after a report based on Haugen’s documents that Instagram was harmful to teens, that it was halting its work https://www.reuters.com/technology/facebook-puts- instagram-kids-hold-mid-criticism-planned-app-2021-09-27 On a version of Instagram aimed at young users.
Disclaimer: This post has been self-published from the agency feed without modification and has not been reviewed by an editor
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