Post by account_disabled on Mar 12, 2024 5:54:09 GMT
In early 1996, John Perry Barlow, founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and sole member of the Grateful Dead, declared the Internet independent of national governments.
“I declare that the global social space we are building is naturally independent of the tyrannies you attempt to impose on us,” he wrote. “You have no moral right to govern us nor do you have any method of enforcement that we have any real reason to fear.”
Barlow, who died last year, was more prone to flowery prose than many of his contemporaries, but his statement reflected a widespread belief that the Internet was a separate thing, where traditional rules and regulations did not, and could not, apply.
For years, this libertarian thinking was the guiding philosophy of Silicon Valley, because technology companies rejected any attempt to regulate them or control people's behavior online. Conveniently, this lack of regulation allowed them to build large monopolies and make huge profits.
Today, Silicon Valley is facing the repercussions. Amid widespread concerns about fake news, influence campaigns, cybersecurity and the sharing of violent and extremist content, more and more countries are pushing to rein in high technology.
Overregulation
Last week, after just two days of France Mobile Number List deliberations, and over protests from critical lawmakers, industry experts and rights groups, Australia introduced new legislation in response to the Christchurch massacre in New Zealand, much of which was broadcast online. Under the laws, internet companies like Facebook and Google will be forced to remove violent content or face massive fines and even prison time.
While Australia has a history of overreach when it comes to internet regulation – a plan to blacklist the web was abandoned in 2010 amid widespread criticism – the country is by no means alone in the effort for greater control.
This Monday, the UK government proposed extending new powers to tackle violent content, fake news and harmful material. Like Australia, these regulations would impose obligations on web companies and give a newly formed internet regulator the ability to issue fines and block sites.
“It is clear to us that self-regulation among technology companies has not been enough and action is now needed in the form of regulation,” Jeremy Wright, Secretary of State for the United Kingdom, wrote in a note for CNN's opinion section. United for digital, culture, media and sport. He promised to hold technology companies accountable “for addressing harmful content and actions online.”
“(We) will hold technology companies more accountable for the content they host and put stricter requirements on platforms to take strong action against terrorism and child sexual exploitation and abuse,” Wright added.
In the US, where technology companies have benefited from decades of comprehensive legislation and constitutional protections for free speech, there are calls for similar action.
This Sunday, Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang proposed creating a news and information ombudsman “with the power to fine corporate offenders.”
“We need a strong press and information exchange. But we must face the reality that fake news and misinformation spread through social media threaten to undermine our democracy and can make it impossible for citizens to make informed decisions about a range of shared facts,” Yang said in a statement. release. “This is particularly problematic given that foreign actors, particularly Russia, intend to harm us and capitalize on our freedom of information. “We need to start monitoring and punishing bad actors to give journalists, with determination, the opportunity to do their jobs.”
“I declare that the global social space we are building is naturally independent of the tyrannies you attempt to impose on us,” he wrote. “You have no moral right to govern us nor do you have any method of enforcement that we have any real reason to fear.”
Barlow, who died last year, was more prone to flowery prose than many of his contemporaries, but his statement reflected a widespread belief that the Internet was a separate thing, where traditional rules and regulations did not, and could not, apply.
For years, this libertarian thinking was the guiding philosophy of Silicon Valley, because technology companies rejected any attempt to regulate them or control people's behavior online. Conveniently, this lack of regulation allowed them to build large monopolies and make huge profits.
Today, Silicon Valley is facing the repercussions. Amid widespread concerns about fake news, influence campaigns, cybersecurity and the sharing of violent and extremist content, more and more countries are pushing to rein in high technology.
Overregulation
Last week, after just two days of France Mobile Number List deliberations, and over protests from critical lawmakers, industry experts and rights groups, Australia introduced new legislation in response to the Christchurch massacre in New Zealand, much of which was broadcast online. Under the laws, internet companies like Facebook and Google will be forced to remove violent content or face massive fines and even prison time.
While Australia has a history of overreach when it comes to internet regulation – a plan to blacklist the web was abandoned in 2010 amid widespread criticism – the country is by no means alone in the effort for greater control.
This Monday, the UK government proposed extending new powers to tackle violent content, fake news and harmful material. Like Australia, these regulations would impose obligations on web companies and give a newly formed internet regulator the ability to issue fines and block sites.
“It is clear to us that self-regulation among technology companies has not been enough and action is now needed in the form of regulation,” Jeremy Wright, Secretary of State for the United Kingdom, wrote in a note for CNN's opinion section. United for digital, culture, media and sport. He promised to hold technology companies accountable “for addressing harmful content and actions online.”
“(We) will hold technology companies more accountable for the content they host and put stricter requirements on platforms to take strong action against terrorism and child sexual exploitation and abuse,” Wright added.
In the US, where technology companies have benefited from decades of comprehensive legislation and constitutional protections for free speech, there are calls for similar action.
This Sunday, Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang proposed creating a news and information ombudsman “with the power to fine corporate offenders.”
“We need a strong press and information exchange. But we must face the reality that fake news and misinformation spread through social media threaten to undermine our democracy and can make it impossible for citizens to make informed decisions about a range of shared facts,” Yang said in a statement. release. “This is particularly problematic given that foreign actors, particularly Russia, intend to harm us and capitalize on our freedom of information. “We need to start monitoring and punishing bad actors to give journalists, with determination, the opportunity to do their jobs.”