Facebook CEO/sucker for pain Mark Zuckerberg has penned a WaPo column calling on governments to take a more “active role” in regulating the internet.
He outlined four main areas for regulators to tackle…
1. Harmful content
The problem: Facebook serves as a platform for its billions of regular users to post content. But when that content is more “terrorist propaganda” than “brunch photo,” the company has struggled to determine the right approach to removing it. Zuck said he agrees with lawmakers that Facebook has too much power over what constitutes free speech.
Zuck’s solution: Develop a more standardized approach by setting up an independent body of non-FB employees to enforce rules. Think a Supreme Court.
2. Protecting elections
The problem: Misinformation campaigns (aka “fake news”) on Facebook have interfered with democratic elections around the world. But as the company tries to provide more transparency, it’s having trouble classifying what should or shouldn’t be considered “political.”
Zuck’s solution: Let governments set common standards for verifying political actors. The NYT’s Mike Isaac thinks this could work: “When the next erroneous outburst inevitably occurs, Facebook could point toward the law it was forced to follow.”
3. Privacy
The problem: The Cambridge Analytica scandal revealed that Facebook was playing fast and loose with user data. New privacy regulations, like Europe’s GDPR law, have come into effect…but that’s leading to an increasingly fragmented internet.
Zuck’s solution: A global privacy framework à la GDPR.
4. Data portability
The problem: Should you, as an internet user, be able to freely move your personal info from one service to another?
Zuck’s solution: Yes. (Easier to say when he owns WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger.)
Zoom out: For Zuckerberg and other Big Tech players, “regulation” isn’t a bad word anymore. It’s a set of common rules that’ll allow them to further cement their dominance of the internet.
Destination url: https://www.morningbrew.com/stories/zuckerberg-regulate-me/
