Commentary: The question the government is grappling with today is what can we do to block misinformation and disinformation that these social media tools spread without impeding the legitimate information people have access to?
that the Chinese Communist Party has over Chinese businesses amps up the risk of social media’s reach.
In ongoing negotiations with the U.S. government, the company that owns TikTok has proposed elaborate measures to ensure that U.S. user data does not end up in the hands of the Chinese state. But this is happening in such a heated geopolitical atmosphere that the outcome will likely be swayed more by politics than actual risk calculation.
Wherever this debate ends up, however, Americans have a bigger question to answer: Why are we so worried about the Chinese government manipulating social media but so nonchalant about Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and other corporate interests doing the same for profit? It’s a question I ask myself frequently. Even as I steer clear of TikTok, I still use Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, though I know the parent companies are using my data and algorithms to try to manipulate my behavior for corporate gain. These businesses determine what news we see, influence what we buy and frequently affect our opinions, views and attitudes in ways of which we aren’t even aware.Tools to address that risk butt up against the open society that we treasure.
This question is a profoundly difficult one for the United States because we prize free speech and openness with an almost cultlike commitment that makes regulation unseemly.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Senators question Zuckerberg about whether Russia, China accessed Facebook user dataA bipartisan duo of senators sent a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg this week, questioning him about how much access Russian and Chinese developers had to private user data.
Read more »
Zuck's Meta Ambition is Burning His Company (& Net Worth) to the Ground | HackerNoonMeta burned through nearly 20% of Mark Zuckerberg's net worth on VR in 2022. - trendingtechcompanies trendingtechnologycompanies
Read more »
Decoded secret letters reveal royal plot against Queen Elizabeth IThe imprisoned Mary, Queen of Scots used sophisticated ciphers as she conspired to overthrow her cousin, Elizabeth I. Long thought lost, the letters were hiding in plain sight.
Read more »
Queen Elizabeth II's life through the yearsON THIS DAY: In 1952, Queen Elizabeth II formally proclaimed her accession to the British throne following the death of her father, King George VI.
Read more »
Elizabeth Bishop’s Art of Losing“When you write my epitaph, you must say I was the loneliest person who ever lived,” Elizabeth Bishop, who was born on this day in 1911, once said to Robert Lowell.
Read more »
Elizabeth Chambers Says She Learned About Armie Hammer’s Cannibal Fetish When Everyone Else Did“I was like, ‘There are no words,’ Chambers said in a recent interview with Elle. “'What the fuck?'”
Read more »