In January 2018 Germany passed the NetzDG law which required platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to take down perceived illegal content within 24 hours or seven days, depending on the charge, or risk a fine of €50 million ($60 million) fines. In July 2018 representatives from Facebook, Google and Twitter denied to the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary committee that they censor content for political reasons. During the hearing Republican members of Congress criticized the social media companies for politically motivated practices in removing some content, a charge the…
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@ISIDEWITH6yrs6Y
No
@9GQQ33MIndependent1yr1Y
Social media is already heavily biased and skewed even with the current restrictions. These restrictions lead to further resistance and the further spread of misinformation leading to widespread mass propaganda when a country or owner of that social media platform has their own vested interest or personal biases.
@@1986_rednecknerdRepublican 2yrs2Y
The government has no place in regulating social media sites, as a means to "prevent fake news and misinformation," because then the government will pick and choose what it deems as "fake news and misinformation." This will just give the government another excuse at overreach.
@9FNBX5W1yr1Y
There are to many young kids seeing things they just shouldn’t. It is also very harmful to teens mental health by bulling and seeing celebrities photoshopped pictures.
@ISIDEWITH6yrs6Y
No, the government should not determine what is fake or real news
@JonBSimConstitution2yrs2Y
At that point, media becomes a propaganda center.
@9FPBZ291yr1Y
I don't have a counter argument because it's true, the government should have zero say and influence on news wether they are real or fake because half the time they would do what lies in their best interest
@ISIDEWITH6yrs6Y
Yes
@9FS32KTRepublican1yr1Y
Many people are reading or looking at social media post that are not true and are causing them to changes their foundational beliefs.
@ISIDEWITH6yrs6Y
No, social media companies are private and should not be regulated by the government
@9MK73VX 7mos7MO
There is too much misinformation, too much propaganda. We also can currently see fake Russian propaganda about the war being spread around the states. We need to make sure that the misinformation, the fake information is taken down with some limit into which the government can intervene.
@9FRNLK9Republican1yr1Y
They can spread false information. Them being private does not matter in the sense that if they are spreading lies and misinformation than it is a crime.
@9FS32KTRepublican1yr1Y
It is unfair to those who are making choices or changing belief's off of misleading information's social media companies are putting out. This means the government should put restrictions on social media.
Just because they're a private company, doesn't mean they shouldn't be regulate.
@ISIDEWITH6yrs6Y
Yes, there is too much fake news and misinformation on social media
@9FYD6PQ1yr1Y
It is not up to the government or corporations to decide what is and isn’t fake through their own inevitably biased lenses.
@9MK73VX 7mos7MO
There is too much fake news and misinformation. Sometimes when scrolling through Youtube shorts, you can see videos of Putin being said as a 'hero' or a 'real leader'. This is being said while Russian citizens are struggling to make ends meet, there are rigged elections, and some of them don't want a war. People are saying a war criminal is a true leader.
@9FNBX5W1yr1Y
People photoshop pictures and are to worried about follower numbers then if they are giving out the correct information. Whatever makes you famous.
@ISIDEWITH6yrs6Y
Yes, social media companies are politically biased and need to be regulated
@9GQQ33MIndependent1yr1Y
If we're so focused on protecting the first amendment right of speech and prevention of interference from the federal and state government, then social media should not be regulated.
No, the government should not regulate social media sites because this will limit freedom of speech and will give the government control over many matters that should be left on personal will.
@JonBSimConstitution2yrs2Y
If a business bans people along political lines, it should be treated as a publisher and sued as such.
@ISIDEWITH3mos3MO
How should social media handle offensive but not illegal content, considering diverse global views?
@9V547JYIndependent3mos3MO
I say to ignore the offensive content, but if it really gets to you then to get off social media.
@9V53HRJ3mos3MO
Don't do anything. Protect freedom of speech. womp womp
@9V9BBS92mos2MO
Everyone has a right to their own opinion. As long as it's not illegal, they shouldn't be able to take it down or do anything to shut it down.
@9V77MDJ2mos2MO
It should be allowed, perhaps marked as potentially offensive, and those who wish to avoid seeing those
@8D7X8VBNew Liberty4yrs4Y
No, but government should require all media outlets (paper, online, radio, tv, etc) to provide both points of view when discussing any political issue. we are at this point; because both points of view are hardly every side-by-side.
@6VRCV2L4yrs4Y
The government should ensure that people who intentionally mislead others are flagged and responded to with factual, non-bias evidence from all sides of the actual story.
@ISIDEWITH3mos3MO
Do you think social media companies have the power to shape political and social opinions through content regulation?
@9YFZLDW1mo1MO
Yes, they do, as they possess the ability to expose individuals to media of various political alignments as well as the ability to detect and determine the political alignment of individuals.
@9YFZ6K41mo1MO
Yes, they absolutely do, we’ve seen this in the past during the 2016 election, and in the present with how much of a spike towards the far right the general atmosphere on Twitter changed after Elon Musk took over
@9YFWM9D1mo1MO
They do. This was proven when Elon Musk took control of Twitter. The narrative Twitter had developed was proved wrong, time and time again, even the "fact checkers" admitted they were being told to just put whatever was contradictory, and it was discovered that dozens of accounts had been "Shadowbanned" because of repeated events of proving the fact checkers wrong.
@9YFWDQYRepublican1mo1MO
I believe that social media has a huge impact on social opinions due to content. Social media needs to be regulated in regard to politics.
Yes, but clearly define the terms "fake news" and "misinformation" to ensure that the government doesn’t simply censor what it disagrees with
@8YZCWH43yrs3Y
Yes, there is too much fake news and misinformation on social media. But social media sites should NOT be regulated by the government, they should be regulated by the owners. Social media sites should STOP being politically biased.
Social media companies tend to be profit driven which greatly hinders their ability to run their business without bias. Advert sales are not monitored strictly enough and this results in certain individuals/companies/sovereign states taking advantage of the system in place to push their own political/social agenda with the use of fake statistics and facts to control the mind set of the populous.
@6VRGFFV4yrs4Y
The governments role should ensure that antitrust laws are not broken and that there is not a monopoly regarding information. I think that the site providing their information should be required to include enough personal information so one can determine if it is biased.
@99JGS332yrs2Y
Yes, there is too much fake news and misinformation on social media. But social media sites should NOT be regulated by the government; they should be regulated by the owners. Social media sites should STOP being politically biased.
@8YFFX263yrs3Y
Yes, there is too much fake news and misinformation on social media. Social media sites should NOT be regulated by the government, they should be regulated by the owners. Social media sites should STOP being politically biased.
@8HSF3QW4yrs4Y
No, users of social media are free to share what they please, but anyone who is, advertises themselves as, or comes across to a reasonable person as a news organization should have a legal obligation to tell the truth. Additionally, where the truth is not known, it should be illegal for such organizations to make things up, but rather these organizations should have to wait before making more informed judgements. This would diminish the capability of users to share fake news as the fake news would not exist, as opposed to simply not be shared. Slander and false accusations should not be allowed as well.
@8RL7F7R4yrs4Y
@9MTZNC47mos7MO
Yes, but the terms "fake news" and "misinformation" should be clearly defined to prevent the government from simple censoring what it disagrees with
@RoundAboutPolicy7mos7MO
No, the government should establish a system where social media companies must listen to verified independent experts to regulate social media
@9VT49DB2mos2MO
No, but they should be nationalized and operated as independently run, worker self-directed enterprises with public input.
@mtratchet16 2mos2MO
Yes, however there should be a standard code of ethics for social media platforms specifically, which would legally bind them to fact-check anything they promote that has real-world implications.
@9R46PYL5mos5MO
No, but start anti-social media campaigns akin to anti-smoking campaigns and ban social media platforms from advertising themselves.
@9L74FFC9mos9MO
Yes, though the terms "misinformation" and "fake news" should be clearly defined to prevent the government from simply censoring whatever it disagrees with
@9GZDTYYIndependent1yr1Y
Social media sites are managed by private companies and as a result should be held to the same laws as other companies. The prevention of fake news and misinformation is the responsibility of the company that runs the social media site, and what the government should do is introduce lessons into the national education system that inform students of fake news and misinformation and tell them how to identify and avoid it.
@9FVTKHQ1yr1Y
I don't trust the government, in its current state, to regulate misinformation on social media in a sufficient, un-biased manner. However, in a perfect world I would say yes, because there have been consistent issues with misinformation on social media.
@923CCGF3yrs3Y
Regulate, meaning, such as pass laws and punish the social media site for someone else putting the content up there, no. Gently nudge or put pressure on the site to delete or remove content that violate other laws or is morally wrong (agreed by everyone) by fining the company for continuously allowing the content to be up there after their request, yes. Should the government do fakebook's job, no. Should the government regulate (put pressure on) social media sites, yes.
@ISIDEWITH3mos3MO
How can social media platforms balance the need to stop harmful content without silencing free speech?
@9TPBKTHConstitution3mos3MO
They have to allow us to speak on harmful subject without censoring our first amendment.
They don't! The platforms are good at censoring themselves certain people just don't like the silent majority learning there in the majority about certain issues.
@ISIDEWITH3mos3MO
Have you ever shared or come across content online that was later taken down? How did that affect your trust in the platform?
@9TSDCJC3mos3MO
I find that social media regulation is important, and I've never really questioned it. People are not who they typically are when on a screen, and the internet isn't as serious as it has been blown up to seem.
@9TSDB3Q3mos3MO
Yes all the time and I think that it’s better for everyone to regulate what we see on social media because there’s a lot of young people and they should be protected
@8C8LNZZ4yrs4Y
No, social media companies should not be regulated by the government, however, they should be subject to libel/slander laws.
@9CCJ7ZP2yrs2Y
Social media should be abolished.
@99QXK2HIndependent2yrs2Y
No, but social media companies should be required to do so
@96DBF6N2yrs2Y
Yes, but only if there is some third party factor limiting propaganda.
@8QYPD954yrs4Y
@8ZNZKSCRepublican3yrs3Y
No, but social media companies should be treated like service providers and held liable for censoring users for their political views.
@juice13674yrs4Y
No they are private so they shouldn't be able to tell them what to regulate but the government would also abuse that power to say what is fake and what isn't themselves to lie to the people (which they're already doing with FB and a few other platforms)
@9CKMSB51yr1Y
No, but if fake news is proven to be politically biased to effect an election, it should be tried as treason
Deleted1yr1Y
It can be tricky to prove someone intentionally created fake news to sway an election. Plus, calling it treason could interfere with people's freedom of speech and press, which are important rights. It's a tough balance between stopping misinformation and protecting individual liberties.
While it is indeed challenging to prove intent behind fake news, there have been historical instances where misinformation had significant impacts. For example, the Pizzagate conspiracy in 2016 led to real-world violence. On the issue of 'treason', it's important to remember that it's a term with a very specific legal definition and its application in such scenarios could lead to the suppression of dissenting voices.
However, we cannot ignore the increasing influence of social media on public perception. Rather than labeling it treason, perhaps we could aim for more transparency and accountability in the way social media platforms manage and moderate content? This way we can uphold the freedom of speech and press, while also mitigating the risk of misinformation
@8QHNK2L4yrs4Y
Social media sites should be nationalized.
No, the social media platforms are the ones who should regulate the disinformation on their sites, not the government.
@9F7ZYX71yr1Y
No, but they should subsidize local news organizations and companies that attempt to combat misinformation on social media
@9F47WR71yr1Y
There should be fact checkers on each "informational" website to determine what is true and what is not.
The government should regulate the media, as long as there is no bias towards any party or agenda. Regulation should only take away harmful and misleading information.
@9F32YVY1yr1Y
yes, but only if not stated that the post is fake upon posting
@9DZYVJKIndependent1yr1Y
No but add a disclaimer on controversial or fake messaging
@9DZSN4Z1yr1Y
No, the government should not decide what is fake or real news, but the government should have regulations preventing porn on social media
@9DRHX76 1yr1Y
Even any pretense in the interest of protecting free speech could potentially risk violating or restricting free speech; that being said, a for-profit private entity is similarly a threat to free speech yet without the benefit of the public having a say in its decisions
@9DGB99H1yr1Y
No, but we should invest more in educating citizens on how to detect fake news and misinformation in all their forms.
@9DFZM9D1yr1Y
Yes but content should not be taken down, context should be provided
Deleted1yr1Y
No, this should be done by an independent third party
@9D9JSC3 1yr1Y
Company is liable for misinformation spread across networks
@9D85MTR 1yr1Y
Yes, but only in regards to medicine and objective scientific information.
@9448VKD2yrs2Y
We should try to find ways to inform the public of the truth and counter such fake news rather than censoring them as censorship could lead to people thinking that the "real truth" is being hidden from them and radicalize them against the government. Instead, mass spread the counters to such hoax news and misinformation.
@9BHY7DH2yrs2Y
No, but social media companies should be required to fact check
@96DXLS32yrs2Y
Yes, but social media sites should become a public utility.
@morphoenix2yrs2Y
No, social media needs heavier regulations set by the companies themselves held accountable by the users.
@93BHCKR3yrs3Y
@8Y3XGKG3yrs3Y
The government should not determine what is real or fake news and the companies themselves should not determine what is real or fake news. It should be an open platform for debate. It is the modern day town square.
@8X2952B3yrs3Y
Yes, but only if the information is dangerous
@8J4WFJH4yrs4Y
The government should regulate social media sites as a means to uphold the 1st amendment
@8F8SSWC4yrs4Y
No, I do not trust the government to determine what is fake or real news. In addition, social media companies are private and should not be regulated by the government.
@8CMYDCXProhibition4yrs4Y
No, but they should be fact checked.
@8C7ZWZY4yrs4Y
@B22WRMMWorking Family1 day1D
Yes, but only in the form of requiring companies to implement policies that identify and shut down foreign government sponsored bot farms (a national security issue), but the government shouldn't be limiting free speech online.
@9ZZK3D46 days6D
only as long as the company is large and having influence on many individuals, such as the government fact checking but not taking down the post
@9ZZ7BFC6 days6D
Yes, but do not restrict freedom of speech. Provide an unbiased and accurate fact check instead of deleting the post. Unless said misinformation causes harm to others.
@9ZZ6QTB7 days7D
No however, social media companies should be held accountable for any provable impact from allowing information that is known to be false.
@9ZYNHQ4 1wk1W
Sometimes; hate speech and extreme/harmful misinformation should be taken down, but going any further would be a violation of free speech
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