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UK will hold social networks accountable for harmful content
The UK government plans to penalize tech companies like Facebook and Google that fail to curb the spread of harmful content on their platforms. As promised, the country is seeking to empower an independent regulator to enforce the rules which target violent material, posts encouraging suicide, disinformation, cyber-bullying, and child exploitation. Over the coming weeks, the government will consult on the types of punishments available to the new watchdog, including fines, blocking access to sites, and holding senior members of tech companies accountable for their failures.
Both Facebook and Google have previously denied responsibility for the content published on their sites, evoking the communications act in the US to overcome lawsuits accusing them of enabling terrorism and spreading extremist views. But calls for big tech to be regulated have grown in recent years following a spate of controversial incidents, the most recent of which was the live-streaming of the mass shooting in New Zealand on Facebook.
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(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 08 2019, @10:07PM (5 children)
When are we going to develop the tech to make censorship impossible? The social platforms are ok. The danger comes from the ISPs, like in New Zealand, not the social platforms.
(Score: 3, Touché) by SomeGuy on Monday April 08 2019, @10:39PM (4 children)
About a week before that tech becomes illegal.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 08 2019, @11:17PM (3 children)
The law is hardly matters, it just means the tech will have to blend in well, and be able to throw people off the trail. There's lots to do, but the talent and money is out there. I hope somebody will put it to good use.
(Score: 2) by SomeGuy on Tuesday April 09 2019, @01:59AM (2 children)
The law does matter. When something needs to be said or a message needs to be delievered, it needs to be accessible to as many people as possible. If you want to just echo your message between between some members of a hidden underground, then fine. But if you need to reach people that can effect change, and can not do so without a potentially illegal technology tool... well, then you have let it become too late and you have bigger problems now.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 09 2019, @02:17AM
Mobile "Scud" servers can multicast.. Those wall wart computers are the best. Think multiple "warhead". And there's still the classifieds. That still works, doesn't it?
Whatever, this whole cat and mouse game will eventually lead to Mad Max. The Great Pirates that run the world will exterminate 6 billion of us in the blink of an eye, if resistance were ever to mount.
We are probably doomed to evolve into Klingons.. That is the course we are on.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 09 2019, @03:36AM
Hmm, if wswswswsws' theory about the nature of the censorship is correct (which seems fairly rational and doesn't require an illuminati-type conspiracy, just a lot of rich fucks acting according to their class interests), a hidden underground might be able to serve as a means of coordination for the theoretical international proletariat vanguard party. Maybe local sections of the vanguard party would have somebody knowledgeable who accesses the hidden underground and disseminates the information via sneakernet (or good old paper).
Freenet would be a candidate for that model (any document-oriented distributed service really). But this might just be me having a crypto nerd fantasy. Ham radio equipment may work just as well. Maybe this role is already being served by number stations. But there is signal triangulation, which leads to the $5 wrench vulnerability, so maybe steganography and cat pics is best after all.
Agree that if it comes to that, it's probably too late, the socialist revolution failed, and fascism has come to power.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 08 2019, @10:24PM (2 children)
That should lead to interesting diplomatic discussions.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by c0lo on Monday April 08 2019, @11:19PM (1 child)
Not on Twitter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday April 09 2019, @03:07PM
If the UK stops Trump from playing with his tweeter, then Trump will issue an executive order to dissolve the EU. That will really get back at the UK! So there!
Whether the order is signed before or after we know what happens with Brexit remains unclear.
Police can legally stop you for having too much tent on your window.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by SomeGuy on Monday April 08 2019, @10:36PM (4 children)
So what is "harmful" and who gets to define it?
How long before we all have to be locked in a cell where we can only hear the current government/religion's propaganda?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by legont on Monday April 08 2019, @11:02PM (1 child)
Great Britain has a long tradition of government controlled media. https://www.britannica.com/topic/British-Broadcasting-Corporation [britannica.com]
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 2) by Webweasel on Tuesday April 09 2019, @08:24AM
Its far worse than you think: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DSMA-Notice [wikipedia.org]
Priyom.org Number stations, Russian Military radio. "You are a bad, bad man. Do you have any other virtues?"-Runaway1956
(Score: 0, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 08 2019, @11:11PM
So what is "harmful" and who gets to define it?
Who cares? It's a tiresome subject that produces no results. It's masturbation. Let's get the tech out so nobody can "define" and restrict it.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday April 09 2019, @03:09PM
You're doing it wrong. History shows us the correct way. You turn the entire country into one large cell. You're still locked in the cell. But you are "free". Just as free as every other comrade in the
cellcountry.Police can legally stop you for having too much tent on your window.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 08 2019, @10:38PM
Some say "Don't shoot the messenger" others pass laws requiring it ...
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 09 2019, @12:09AM
We need to punish the government for censoring the internet. But first, let's work on making censorship impossible. Then we really don't have to worry about what the government, or anybody else says about social media. Let's get those bulletproof servers up and running!
(Score: 3, Insightful) by stormreaver on Tuesday April 09 2019, @01:16AM (2 children)
So I presume they will be banning Christianity and Bible content any time now.
(Score: 3, Informative) by c0lo on Tuesday April 09 2019, @01:48AM
Wishful thinking, may you be touched by His noodly appendages.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday April 09 2019, @02:59PM
It will be more nuanced. They will treat it as though it and its teaching is banned with severe penalties, but without actually banning it in writing that says it is banned.
Banning it has been tried before.
The worst thing they could do, is for the government to embrace and endorse it -- causing the corruption of both.
Police can legally stop you for having too much tent on your window.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday April 09 2019, @02:55PM
if the UK were truly concerned with harmful content, they would keep the internet free of their own government content.
Ditto for any US jurisdictions 'concerned' about harmful content.
Police can legally stop you for having too much tent on your window.