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So @EFF released a series of tech policy recommendations to the incoming Biden administration. Most of the principles seem good, but the one I know the most about, namely disinformation, content moderation, and section 230, I profoundly disagree with. THREAD 1/
First, let me caveat this with the full disclosure that I am an undergraduate research assistant, and there are far more qualified and knowledgeable experts than me, who you should follow. 2/
This includes people like @katestarbird, @emmaspiro, @jevinwest, @rcalo, @ubiquity75, @safiyanoble, @mathbabedotorg, @KolinaKoltai, @BostonJoan, @Klonick, @BrandyZadrozny, @noUpside, and so many others. Learn from them, and follow them. 3/
I agree in that Section 230 should not be wholly repealed, and that platforms should not be responsible for 100% of their tweets. The “repeal 230” movement started by former President Trump is misguided and should not be done. 4/
However, that does not mean all narrow amendments to the law are a bad idea. Indeed, I believe they are necessary. 5/
We need to reduce the spread of online mis/disinformation, to prevent further polarization/radicalization, uphold democracy, and prevent tragedies. 6/
Last week’s insurrection attempt, the massacre of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, the shooting at a DC pizza parlor, and countless other acts and threats of real-world violence have been accelerated by online mis- and disinformation. 7/
Allowing mis/disinformation to just continue to accelerate along its current path is not tenable. Democracy relies on agreement, not necessarily on policy but on basic facts of reality. Mis/disinfo threatens that. 8/
Regulating is not a sufficient solution to fix these problems, it cannot solve it by itself. However, I do believe that it’s necessary. 9/
In particular, while I’m not sure I agree with calls to make platforms remove it, I think demanding platforms not algorithmically promote disinfo is important (e.g., avoid this scenario from @katestarbird https://twitter.com/katestarbird/status/1321460358695956480?s=20) 10/
I don’t know what the right solution is fully - I think @ubiquity75’s call to actually enforce existing Terms of Service/Community Standards is a good and necessary approach 11/ https://techpolicy.press/on-the-deplatforming-of-a-bully-in-chief/
We have clear evidence this is not being followed, including the delays in suspending realDonaldTrump until after the insurrection, or articles like this by @oliviasolon 12/ https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/sensitive-claims-bias-facebook-relaxed-misinformation-rules-conservative-pages-n1236182
Or maybe we can already enforce penalties through existing law, as @rcalo and @hartzog argue here 13/ https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-01-15/facebook-twitter-extremism-donald-trump-violence
Algorithmic amplification of inciting disinformation is what most concerns me, and what I think the Biden Administration should tackle around mis/disinformation. But I don’t have all the answers. All I know for sure is we need some form of change to the current situation. 14/
Also, I think the argument used here by EFF is misleading - yes, these movements have been organized online, but they are cherry-picked examples of a far more complex phenomenon. 15/
For example, hashtags like Stop the steal, or q-related hashtags, were also powerful organizing done via social media hashtags that are much less prosocial. 16/
The research on how democratizing tech is is mixed. For example, @schradie’s “The Revolution That Wasn’t” seems to cast doubt on democratizing w/ social media, while @sjjphd et al’s “Hashtag Activism” does seem to give some evidence for tech as an organizing tool for justice. 17/
I’m not sure who is right, but I think it’s more complex than the selective evidence EFF presents here. 18/
I have more thoughts and may come back to this at some point, but this thread is getting really long already and it’s late. But TLDR, we need to more to address disinfo than just shrug our shoulders and leave it as-is 19/
In fairness to @EFF, here’s a link to their recommendations, and this section in particular 20/ https://www.eff.org/wp/eff-transition-memo-incoming-biden-administration#_Toc57064025
Lastly, I don’t want this to be construed as anti- @EFF - most of their recommendations, both in this document and more broadly, I agree with. I am a proud EFF member and support their work. I just dislike this specific section and recommendation. 21/21
