In this blog post, we look at the role of tech companies and highlight the key messages in a visual summary.
This is based on Section 2 of the Disinformation and ‘fake news’ report and is second in a series of seven posts.
Let´s begin!
About the report
In July 2018, the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee published an Interim Report titled Disinformation and ‘fake news’.
The scope of this report:
To study ‘the spread of false, misleading, and persuasive content, and the ways in which malign players, whether automated or human, or both together, distort what is true in order to create influence, to intimidate, to make money, or to influence political elections.’
A specific focus of the report is to address concerns related to the “political use of social media”.
The report includes seven sections:
1. Definition of fake news and how to spot it
2. Role of tech companies – definition, legal liabilities
3. The issue of data targeting, based on the Facebook, GSR and Cambridge Analytica allegations
4. Political campaigning
5. Russian influence in political campaigns
6. Co-ordination of Departments within Government
7. Digital literacy
What is the role of social media platforms?
This section of the report focuses on the definition and role of social media platforms. In particular, the terms ‘platform’ and ‘publisher’ are dismissed in favour of a hybrid approach. This is because each of these terms holds connotations that don’t quite fit the role of social media platforms. There is also a discussion about the current regulatory landscape in the UK to keep these platforms in check, as well as the upcoming changes to this.
Section 2 also covers issues of transparency online when it comes to bots and algorithms, calling for a strengthening of the ICO’s remit to tackle these challenges.
Finally, there is a discussion on the business models of tech companies and the challenges this poses to monopolies and competition policy. The report highlights that the software offered by tech companies are free to use, yet this means that the users become the product of these companies. This can result in mistrust. At the same time, users can also benefit from tech companies being monopolistic. For example, Google Maps is more accurate the more people use it. We captured the essence of these findings below.
VISUAL SUMMARY OF SECTION 2
Next week we will tackle Section 3 of the Disinformation and ‘fake news’ report.
