The International Forum for Responsible Media Blog
Donald Trump’s controversial removal from social media platforms has reignited debate around the censorship of information published online. But the issue of disinformation and manipulation on social media goes far beyond one man’s Twitter account. And it is much more widespread than previously thought. Continue reading
The regulation of “online harms” in Europe has just taken a big leap. On the same day just before Christmas, the European Commission unveiled the first draft of its proposal to update the responsibilities and liabilities of digital service providers in its “Digital Services Act” (DSA), and the UK announced an update on its Online Harms Bill, which is now very close to publication. In the context of Brexit, the divergence of the two regimes is stark and paves the way for some fascinating debates in 2021. Continue reading
The recent storming of the US Capitol has led a number of social media platforms to remove President Donald Trump’s account. In the case of Twitter, the ban is permanent. Others, like Facebook, have taken him offline until after President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration next week. Continue reading
The counting of electoral college votes to certify the result of a US election is usually a routine affair. But emboldened by a provocative speech by outgoing president Donald Trump, an angry mob of his supporters made the ceremony international news by breaking into the US Capitol in a brazen attack on American democracy. Continue reading
Amid the chaos in the US Capitol, stoked largely by rhetoric from President Donald Trump, Twitter has locked his account, with 88.7 million followers, for 12 hours. Continue reading
The government is planning to change the law so that social media companies like Facebook and Twitter will have no choice but to take responsibility for the safety of their users. Continue reading
In 2018 Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey acknowledged that employees at his company have a “left-leaning bias” – but insisted that it does not affect how Twitter makes decisions on content on its platform. Continue reading
The fundamental issues with the government’s White Paper proposals have been exhaustively discussed on previous occasions. Reminiscent of a sheriff in the Wild West, to which the internet is so often likened, Ofcom would enlist deputies – social media platforms and other intermediaries acting under a legal duty of care – to police the unruly online population. Unlike its Wild West equivalent, however, Ofcom would get to define its territory and write the rules, as well as enforce them. Continue reading
The government has now published the Final Response to its Consultation on the April 2019 Online Harms White Paper. Continue reading
On 15 December 2020, the Government published its full response to the Online Harms White Paper, confirming that the Online Harms Bill will establish a new statutory duty of care which is intended to make online companies take responsibility for the safety of their users. Continue reading
© 2021 Inforrm's Blog
Theme by Anders Norén — Up ↑