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News on Regulation and Policy
Following the January 6 riots on Capitol Hill, US President Donald Trump was blocked or banned by a number of platforms. When Facebook decided to lock Trump’s account, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said that “the risks of allowing the president to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great.” The decision, […]
By Jameel Jaffer, Shannon McGregor, Jonathan Corpus Ong, Taylor Owen, Heidi Tworek, & Allison LeonardOnline misinformation about election fraud plunged 73 percent after several social media sites suspended President Trump and key allies last week, research firm Zignal Labs has found, underscoring the power of tech companies to limit the falsehoods poisoning public debate when they act aggressively. The new research by the San Francisco-based analytics firm reported that […]
By Elizabeth Dwoskin & Craig TimbergThe recent decision by Big Tech to ban prominent politicians, including President Donald Trump, and enforce strict content moderation against hate speech, mis/disinformation, and violence is a new precedent that could prove consequential for the future of online speech—and for the future of democracy. Join Belfer Center’s Technology and Public Purpose (TAPP) Project as it […]
The violent insurrection against the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, may prove to be a critical juncture in terms of how our media ecosystem treats disinformation and the individuals and organizations who produce it. On that day, we witnessed exactly what those of us who research the disinformation problem have feared the most, a […]
By Philip M. NapoliThe Covid-19 pandemic has confirmed yet again the importance of clear, reliable, and accurate information for societies. Throughout the pandemic audiences have turned to trusted sources for scientific information about the disease and its spread. Yet even as demand for their work has soared, journalists have been laid off and furloughed around the world. News […]
By Anya SchiffrinSingapore – A political leader uses social media to spread misinformation and hate. Followers are spurred to violence. People are killed. It is a toxic brew that has surfaced repeatedly across the world — in Myanmar, India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Brazil and now the United States. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube banned President Trump from […]
By Shashank BengaliWe are seeking to appoint an enthusiastic and motivated post-doctoral researcher as part of a larger project aimed at the quantitative analysis of news audiences across a sample of more than forty countries, with a particular emphasis on digital media, news, and politics. The postholder will take responsibility for and deliver on distinct parts of […]
By Reuters Institute for the Study of JournalismOver the last four years, disinformation has become a global watchword. After Russian meddling on social networks during the 2016 U.S. presidential election, experts expressed concerns that social media would continue to be weaponized — warnings that were often dismissed as hyperbolic. But the January 6 siege on the U.S. Capitol building illustrates just how […]
By Joan DonovanThere is considerable irony in this situation. I study digital technology and have for years spoken loudly and with increasing concern about the potential harms posed to our society, our democracy and, indeed, our children. YouTube, in particular, has a bad record. While platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have taken modest, if insufficient, steps […]
By Taylor OwenMisinformation is a big part of our current polarization because it is hard to bring the country together when each side has its own facts and attributions of responsibility. It helps that some leading social media platforms have limited or banned Trump’s posting privileges. But that will not stop the spread of misinformation as Trump […]
By Darrell M. WestFacebook and Twitter suspended President Trump’s accounts after the violence on Capitol Hill, on January 6, in a bid to prevent him from inciting further violence. Joan Donovan, research director at Harvard University’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy joins to discuss what lawmakers and companies need to do to address the weaponization […]
By Anthony Izaguirre