Facebook, Google face widening crackdown over online content
Danica Kirka and Kelvin Chan, Washington Post, April 8th, 2019
Tech giants like Facebook and Google came under increasing pressure in Europe on Monday when countries proposed stricter rules to force them to block extreme material such as terrorist propaganda and child porn.
A board to oversee Georgia journalists sounds like Orwellian fiction. The proposal is all too real.
Margaret Sullivan, columnist at the Washington Post, April 8th, 2019
When Richard Griffiths, president of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation, heard about the bill filed last week in his state’s House of Representatives, he thought for a moment that it was an April Fools joke.
UK plan steps up global crackdown on social media
Danica Kirka, Associated Press, Washington Post, April 8th, 2019
The U.K. unveiled plans on Monday to vastly increase government oversight of social media companies, with a first of its kind watchdog that could fine executives or even ban companies if they fail to block content such as terrorist propaganda or images of child abuse.
Twitter says action taken against pro-Netanyahu bot network
Associated Press in the Washington Post, April 2nd, 2019
Twitter says it has “taken action” after an Israeli watchdog exposed an alleged bot network spreading propaganda in support of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and smearing his opponents.
India’s Election Commission grapples with fake information
Amrit Dhillon, Associated Press, April 2nd, 2019
When India’s Election Commission announced last month that its code of conduct would have to be followed by social media companies as well as political parties, some analysts scoffed, saying it lacked the capacity and speed required to check the spread of fake news ahead of a multi-phase general election that begins April 11.
Australia could jail social media execs for showing violence
Rod McGuirk, Associated Press, Washington Post, April 4th, 2019
Australia’s Parliament passed legislation on Thursday that could imprison social media executives if their platforms stream real violence such as the New Zealand mosque shootings.
Iran-linked Twitter accounts spread anti-Saudi sentiments in Arabic, report finds
Siobhan O’Grady, Washington Post, April 3rd, 2019
In August last year, Twitter announced that it had suspended hundreds of accounts that appeared to be linked to Iran. The reason? Twitter said the accounts had engaged in “coordinated manipulation.”
Twitter stops blocking French government’s ad campaign
Kelvin Chan and Angela Charlton, Associated Press in the Washington Post, April 4th, 2019
Twitter said Thursday it has stopped blocking French government ads calling on people to vote after it came under fire from authorities for being overzealous in applying a law aimed at banning fake news.
Is Singapore fighting fake news or free speech?
Editorial Board, Washington Post, April 5th, 2019
Is fighting fake news — or is it fighting free speech? The line between the two is thin, and the island nation’s proposed rules for regulation are a reminder that confronting misinformation can come with risks.
India election body struggles with scale of fake information
Amrit Dhillon, Associated Press in the Washington Post, April 2nd, 2019
When India’s Election Commission announced last month that its code of conduct would have to be followed by social media companies as well as political parties, some analysts scoffed, saying it lacked the capacity and speed required to check the spread of fake news ahead of a multi-phase general election that begins April 11.
U.K. unveils sweeping plan to penalize Facebook and Google for harmful online content
Tony Romm, Washington Post, April 7th, 2019
British regulators on Sunday unveiled a landmark proposal to penalize Facebook, Google and other tech giants that fail to stop the spread of harmful content online, marking a major new regulatory threat for an industry that’s long dodged responsibility for what its users say or share.
Fake news is bad news for democracy.
James Hollyer, Petter Rosendorff and James Vreeland, Washington Post, April 5th, 2019
Last week, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg welcomed government regulation of content on the Internet in several areas, including “election integrity.” Around the world, there are increasing concerns that “fake news” threatens democracy.