Discussion:
[IP] A withering verdict: MPs report on Zuckerberg, Russia and Cambridge Analytica
DAVID FARBER
2018-07-29 09:14:55 UTC
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Date: July 29, 2018 at 17:55:25 GMT+9
Subject: A withering verdict: MPs report on Zuckerberg, Russia and Cambridge Analytica
From today’s Observer newspaper, the Sunday partner to the Guardian, for IP if you wish.
Cheers
Brian
A withering verdict: MPs report on Zuckerberg, Russia and Cambridge Analytica
A report by the digital, culture, media and sport select committee demands more internet regulation
Facebook
The report offers a wide-ranging, informed and sustained critique that carries with it the full weight of parliament. The verdict is withering: Facebook failed. It “obfuscated”, refused to investigate how its platform was abused by the Russian government until forced by pressure from Senate committees and, in the most damning section, it aided and abetted the incitement of racial hatred in Burma, noting that even the company’s chief technical officer, Mike Schroepfer, called this “awful”.
• “Clear legal liability” for tech companies “to act against harmful and illegal content” with failure to act resulting in criminal proceedings.
• Full auditing and crutiny of tech companies, including their security mechanisms, and full algorithm auditing. Strengthen the Information Commissioner’s Office (IO). Impose a levy on tech companies operating in the UK to pay for it. The Competition and Markets Authority should investigate fake profiles and advertising fraud.
• A ban on micro-targeted political advertising to similar audiences.
• A “new category of tech company” to be formulated which “tightens tech companies’ liabilities and which is not necessarily either a ‘platform’ or ‘publisher’”.
• Sweeping new powers for the Electoral Commission and a comprehensive overhaul of existing legislation that governs political advertisements during elections.
• A further demand for Mark Zuckerberg “to come to the committee to answer questions to which Facebook has not responded adequately to date”.
• A code of ethics that all tech companies will agree to uphold.
<snip>
Full story: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jul/28/dcms-report-fake-news-disinformation-brexit-facebook-russia
The Committee’s full report is at https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmcumeds/363/36302.htm
Cheers
Brian
—
School of Computing Science, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU
URL = http://www.ncl.ac.uk/computing/people/profile/brianrandell.html
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