Revisiting Platform Accountability Coverage After Trump Reinstated To Facebook And Instagram
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With news of Trump’s imminent return to Facebook and Instagram, we are looking back at some of our coverage of calls for social media accountability and content moderation. This isn’t just another battle in the free speech wars. Free speech protections guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution aren’t at issue with social media platforms managed by private corporations.
And while there’s a lot of attention (and rightfully so) on Twitter and Meta/Facebook, other platforms like TikTok and Youtube are hotbeds of disinformation and algorithmic bias. But even if free speech was a concern in platform accountability and content moderation, there is no absolute protection to say and do anything in any venue.
Here’s a look at some of NewsOne’s coverage on social media platform accountability.
Twitter Finally Pulls The Plug On Trump’s Account
Twitter’s action comes after employees demanded the site finally take real action to address Trump’s incitement and use of the platform to spread disinformation and hate. The Verve reported that more than 300 Twitter employees signed a petition calling on the company to investigate its decision-making in regards to the moderation of Trump’s account.
Tech Companies Called Out For Ignoring Spread Of Spanish Disinformation
“Online disinformation creates real offline harms — as we have seen to great tragedy throughout the pandemic,” Clare Melford, co-founder and executive director at Global Disinformation Index, said in a statement. “One of the most powerful levers to stopping this is to cut the financial incentives driving this disinformation. Strong leadership from the Ad Tech industry is needed now. Concrete action and a whole-of-industry approach can create healthier information ecosystems and healthier communities.”
Group Demands Congressional Action In Regulating Racialized Disinformation On Online Platforms
“Weaponized narratives targeting our marginalized communities are amplified through the toxic business models of big tech and big media,” Erin Shields, national field organizer of Media Justice, said in a statement. “Online platforms, cable channels and broadcasters alike have all shirked responsibility and accountability for their roles in spreading dangerous, racialized disinformation. Policymakers must examine how the corporate media ecosystem distorts facts and spreads lies — and move swiftly to redress the harms our communities have endured as a result.”
Elon Musk’s Twitter Acquisition Reinforces Calls For Big Tech To ‘Fix The Feed’
Before the big news broke about billionaire Elon Musk buying Twitter, civil-society groups called for big tech to address ongoing issues in platform accountability by fixing the feed ahead of the upcoming elections. A coalition of 60 groups, Change the Terms, wants big tech to “fix the feed” and stop amplifying hate and lies.
Civil Rights Leaders Call Out Trump’s Twitter Reinstatement After ‘Garbage’ Poll
A platform accountability group called out Elon Musk for breaking his word in reinstating previously banned accounts, including former President Donald Trump, without a straightforward process. Free Press, a media and technology advocacy organization, released a statement saying that Musk broke a promise to create a content-moderation council with input from the civil rights community and groups targeted by “hate-fueled” violence.
America Was Founded On White Supremacist Violence. Dismantling It Requires A Shift In How We Approach Racism And Hate
Social media platforms must ensure that their sites are not used to further hate or broadcast murder.
SEE ALSO:
How Newsroom Cuts Leave Black Communities Even More Susceptible To Online Misinformation
Meta Called Out By Racial Justice Groups For Reinstating Trump’s Facebook And Instagram Accounts
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