Items tagged "misinformation"
Finding the Limits of Free Speech Online
January 12, 2021 Content Moderation , Disinformation , Facebook , First Amendment , Free Expression , Free Speech , Hate Speech , misinformation , Platform Regulation , Speech Online , TwitterLast week, President Trump used social media to encourage his supporters to storm the Capitol to attempt to maintain his power. In the wake of this violent insurrection against the certification of our election, the President and some of his supporters are claiming that the First Amendment rights of the President have been violated because […]
Read MoreA Superfund for the Internet Could Clean Up Our Polluted Information Ecosystem
December 23, 2020 Content Moderation , Disinformation , First Amendment , Free Expression , misinformation , Platform Competition , Platform Regulation , Section 230 , Superfund , Superfund for the InternetIn a recent interview, former President Obama called the lack of a “common baseline of fact” the “single greatest threat to our democracy.” Our increasingly polluted information environment — including the proliferation of “crazy lies and conspiracy theories” on social media — divides society while undermining public faith in facts, impeding our ability to face […]
Read MoreDiversity and Competition in New and Old Media
December 23, 2020 AT&T , Content Moderation , FCC , Media Diversity , Media Ownership , misinformation , Pay-TV , Time WarnerOne of the most important and difficult goals of media policy is preserving and promoting voices of marginalized communities and diverse perspectives. It’s important because a functioning democracy requires informed points of view from multiple perspectives. There should be media that speak to and speak for everyone in our country. This applies to all media, […]
Read MoreNew Bipartisan COVID Stimulus Package Includes Support for Local Journalism
December 22, 2020 Disinformation , Legislation , Local Journalism , misinformationThanks in part to the efforts of Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), the coronavirus relief bill includes a provision that will make thousands of local journalism outlets newly eligible for emergency federal support under the Paycheck Protection Program.
Read MoreContent Moderation Is Not Synonymous With Censorship
November 16, 2020 Big Tech , Congress , Content Moderation , Free Speech , Freedom of Expression , misinformation , Platform Competition , Platform Regulation , Section 230Tomorrow, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee to discuss censorship, the suppression of news articles, and the companies’ handling of the 2020 presidential election. Last time Dorsey and Zuckerberg were brought in to the Senate to testify, the hearing turned into an opportunity for some […]
Read MoreThe Election Misinformation War Has Only Just Begun
November 12, 2020 Internet Superfund , misinformation , Platform RegulationMedia organizations and social media platforms approached preparing for the 2020 presidential election as if they were going to war. Informed by COVID-19 misinformation conspiracies, demands from both sides of the political aisle to adjust their content moderation policies, and at least four years of orchestrated political misinformation campaigns, our mainstream media and social media […]
Read MoreUnderstanding Election Disinformation in 2016, 2020, and Beyond
November 2, 2020 Digital Platform Act , digital platforms , Disinformation , Election 2020 , Internet Superfund , misinformationIn 2016, Facebook, Twitter, and other digital platforms were used as they were designed — to help content go viral — but for destructive purposes. Misinformation that ramped up during the election cycle was not just coming from within the United States, but from a coordinated influence campaign wherein Russian bots produced and disseminated disinformation […]
Read MorePublic Knowledge Rejects DOJ Proposal to Amend Section 230
September 23, 2020 Content Moderation , digital platforms , Disinformation , DOJ , misinformation , Section 230Today, the U.S. Department of Justice issued recommendations to Congress for amending Section 230 of the Communications Act. This law states that platforms are not liable for third-party content that they carry, and can take down objectionable content without fear of lawsuits.
Read MorePublic Knowledge Shares Misinformation Reporting Insights With Congress to Tackle Disinformation on Digital Platforms
June 24, 2020 coronavirus , Covid-19 , Disinformation , infodemic , Internet Superfund , misinformation , Section 230Yesterday, Public Knowledge sent a letter to Congress providing insight into the flow of misinformation and disinformation over social media platforms to prepare for the joint hearing on “A Country in Crisis: How Disinformation Online is Dividing the Nation.” The hearing will discuss the impact of disinformation on the American public.
Read MoreBreaking Down and Taking Down Trump’s Latest Proposed Executive Order Spanking Social Media
June 4, 2020 Content Moderation , Disinformation , FCC , First Amendment , Free Expression , Freedom of Expression , FTC , Legal Analysis , Litigation , misinformation , Net Neutrality , Platform Regulation , Section 230Bashing social media for supposed liberal bias has become pretty standard fare for some conservative pundits and politicians. This remains true despite zero evidence of any kind of bias by social media companies against conservative content or Republican politicians. In fairness, Democratic political leaders have made similar accusations. For example, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has […]
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