BFF-45 Levy social media to stem “fake news” tide say UK MPs

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Levy social media to stem “fake news” tide say UK MPs

LONDON, July 28, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Britain should levy social media firms
to fund efforts at stemming a “fake news” crisis threatening the fabric of
democracy, a leaked report by lawmakers has said.

It recommends using the cash to finance school classes on “digital
literacy”, teach public awareness around the issue and better fund data
watchdog the Information Commissioners Office.

The proposal is one of many made in the House of Commons committee paper as
it rounds on tech giants including Facebook, Twitter and Google.

Such firms act “irresponsibly” over data collection, “influencing what we
see” in an unregulated social media landscape akin to the “wild west”, the
report claims.

“We are facing nothing less than a crisis in our democracy — based on the
systematic manipulation of data to support the relentless targeting of
citizens, without their consent, by campaigns of disinformation and messages
of hate,” said Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee chairman Damian
Collins.

“Throughout our inquiry these companies have tried to frustrate scrutiny
and obfuscated in their answers.”

The paper outlines recommendations for audits of social media security
mechanisms and for the introduction of a new category of tech company that
bridges the gap between platform and publisher.

The committee hopes to force social media firms into assuming liability for
harmful or illegal content on their sites — which they profit from but
abdicate responsibility for by claiming they are only a “platform” according
to the findings.

“The light of transparency must be allowed to shine on their operations and
they must be made responsible, and liable, for the way in which harmful and
misleading content is shared on their sites”, said Collins.

It also renewed calls for Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to appear before
the committee to answer “questions to which Facebook has not responded
adequately”, after he neglected to appear following the Cambridge Analytica
data scandal.

The report was leaked online by Dominic Cummings, a chief official in the
Vote Leave movement during the Brexit referendum campaign, who refused to
appear before the committee to address concerns over their online efforts in
the run-up to the 2016 vote.

He branded the report itself “fake news” which “knowingly/incompetently
makes false claims” about pro-Brexit organisations.

A government spokeswoman said: “The Government takes disinformation very
seriously, as with all types of online manipulation and internet harms.”

“We note the Committee’s report and will consider its final
recommendations.”

BSS/AFP/ARS/1947 hrs