Miguel Afonso Caetano on Nostr: "Communications and search platforms like Facebook or Google have become crucial ...

"Communications and search platforms like Facebook or Google have become crucial spaces for civic discourse and access to information. But they have also become powerful tools for commercial exploitation, political manipulation, silencing, and control. Meta’s recent announcement of changes in its content moderation approach and policies is a painful reminder of digital platforms’ power over our democracies. The company has a history of allowing hate speech and disinformation to proliferate while also censoring critical voices. The choices it makes often come at the cost of accountability, trust, and public safety.

The EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) is part of the new EU regulatory toolkit that seeks to hold Big Tech accountable, together with the Digital Markets Act. These regulations establish a new set of obligations for private actors and aim to create a secure and safe online environment for all. For the first time in EU history, a platform governance regulation promises to prioritize people’s fundamental rights.

However, no matter how well intended, platform regulations can be a minefield for human rights. The EU is not alone in shaping and exploring platform regulatory models. It is imperative that all governments developing or deploying platform regulations ground them in the rule of law — a bulwark against abuse.

Our latest report, Platform accountability: a rule-of-law checklist for policymakers, proposes a checklist to enable policymakers to examine the need for platform accountability regulations, and where necessary, enact regulations that are fit-for-purpose and protect human rights."

https://www.accessnow.org/platform-accountability-part1-overview/

#SocialMedia #SocialNetworks #HumanRights #Censorship #HateSpeech #ContentModeration #Disinformation