Information that is published or distributed in a digital form, including text, data, sound recordings, photographs and images, motion pictures, and software.
Digital Content
The Mounting Federal Investigations Into Facebook
Facebook now faces investigations into its business practices from a variety of federal agencies. Officials have opened inquiries into possible civil and criminal violations of laws related to privacy, corporate governance and discrimination. Facebook has largely denied wrongdoing in each of the investigations and said it was cooperating with regulators and law enforcement. Here are the agencies looking into Facebook, and some of the issues involved.
The Internet needs new rules. Let’s start in these four areas.
I believe we need a more active role for governments and regulators. By updating the rules for the Internet, we can preserve what’s best about it — the freedom for people to express themselves and for entrepreneurs to build new things — while also protecting society from broader harms. From what I’ve learned, I believe we need new regulation in four areas: harmful content, election integrity, privacy and data portability.
Where to Draw the Line on Deplatforming
As a general principle, internet service providers aren’t supposed to erect barriers between the users they serve and the websites those users want to visit. They tend to observe this rule even in places like Australia and New Zealand that don’t have net neutrality policies that prevent ISPs from blocking access to websites. An exception tends to be when those takedowns come at the behest of law enforcement, perhaps out of concern for public safety. But the telecoms companies in New Zealand and Australia didn’t decide to kick websites offline in collaboration with law enforcement.
YouTube’s Product Chief on Online Radicalization and Algorithmic Rabbit Holes
A Q&A with Neal Mohan, YouTube’s chief product officer.
Tech takeaways from the Mueller report
Here’s what you need to know about Attorney General Barr’s summary of the special counsel investigation into Russian election interference in 2016 — and what it said about social media:
We know that White supremacists use platforms like Facebook and Twitter to silence the speech of vulnerable communities and people fighting for justice. But what do those harms really look like — and how are those lives changed?
Join the Change the Terms coalition for an hour-long conversation on the impacts of far-right hate online. Free Press’ Jessica J. González will moderate the discussion, which will feature research fellow Ana Hernández, Brandi Collins-Dexter from Color Of Change, Jess Campbell from the Rural Organizing Project and Madihha Ahussain from Muslim Advocates.
The Department of Commerce’s internet Policy Task Force (Task Force) will hold a conference to discuss current initiatives and technologies used to develop a more robust and collaborative digital marketplace for copyrighted works. The Task Force is organizing this meeting to build on the work of the prior meetings and continue to facilitate constructive, cross-industry dialogue about ways to promote a robust and collaborative online marketplace for copyrighted works.
In Defense of Section 230
Democratic leaders and industry officials cast GOP talk of cracking down on tech’s content moderation practices as out of touch with conservative values. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), who helped author Section 230, said “calls for government regulation of online speech and the business practices of private corporations run counter to everything conservatives claim to believe.” Sen Wyden added altering liability protections would unleash “an onslaught of bad-faith lawsuits and pressure campaigns” on tech companies.
House Homeland Security Chairman Thompson: Tech Companies Must Work to Stop Spread of Terrorist Content
After last week’s deadly white-nationalist domestic terror attack on two New Zealand mosques, and the shooter’s concurrent live-stream of the attack, House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS), has written a letter to the CEOs of four major technology companies (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Microsoft) urging them to prioritize the immediate removal of violent terrorist content, including that of far-right, domestic terrorists.
Rep Nunes (R-CA) Sues Twitter for Allowing Accounts to Insult Him
Stung by obscene and pointed criticism, Rep Devin Nunes (R-CA) has sued Twitter and three users for defamation, claiming the users smeared him and the platform allowed it to happen because of a political agenda. The complaint, which was filed in Henrico County Circuit Court in Virginia, seeks $250 million in damages.