Hello and welcome to the TECH BEAT, I’m James Preston your tech guide, helping you
to navigate the bits and bites of the world wide web and the innovations that abound.
In this weeks edition, a number of social media giants and distancing themselves from
Facebook and Australia looks to implement more cyber space laws…there’s a lot to
get through So let’s begin our download on the tech beat! [e] [TRANSITION]
[g] TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube are the latest technology giants to have been quizzed
by US senators over concerns about the safety of young users. [e] During nearly four hours
of questioning, on Monday, the tech giants attempted to put distance between their platforms
and that of Facebook, which has faced increasing scrutiny from politicians in recent months.
Facebook, has been accused of harming children's mental wellbeing, and has faced increasing
calls for regulation of the platform. But Snapchat told senators it’s platform did
not belong in the same category. TikTok public-policy head Michael Beckerman, meanwhile, told the
hearing that TikTok is not a social network based on followers. But TikTok has faced accusations
its algorithm serves harmful content to its teenage users, such as weight-loss videos
or dangerous pranks. U.S Senators also have growing concerns about both censorship and
the spread of misinformation. Some senators say legislation protecting social networks
from being sued - known as Section 230 - needs to be revisited. Originally seen to protect
internet providers such as BT or Comcast, it has become the main shield for huge sites
such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, which cannot possibly review every post from their
users before publication. [w] However, many US politicians claim the legislation is outdated
and social networks must be held accountable. As for me? I just want to see Mark Zuckerberg
looking like he's just come to planet earth and is learning how humans communicate for
the second time round [e] [g] SPEAKING OF FACEBOOK, they have admitted
that core parts of the platform appear hardwired for spreading misinformation and divisive
content, according to a fresh wave of internal documents that showed the social media company
struggled to contain hate speech, and was reluctant to censor rightwing US news organisations.
[e] Though to be fair, why should the left get a free pass? Afterall if you dare criticize
the tripe that was the ghostbusters reboot a few years back on Twitter – you’d get
banned, but if you’re the Taliban? No, that’s completely fine – you keep tweeting Mohammed
Bin Killin Volleyball Players A lot. Anywho, An internal memo warned Facebook’s “core
product mechanics”, or its basic workings, had let hate speech and misinformation grow
on the platform. In March, a group of researchers inside Facebook compiled a report for one
of the company’s most powerful executives, Chief Product Officer Chris Cox. The paper
included charts and data highlighting a troubling trend that seemed to be accelerating – namely,
Facebook was losing popularity with teens and young adults. The documents also showed
that the artificial intelligence systems Facebook employs to root out such content frequently
aren't up to the task. Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen also stated that the algorithms
are essentially designed in a way that allows for outrage material to be promoted to users
which in turn can fuel more violent unrest around the world because of the way its algorithms
are designed to promote divisive content. She said the social network saw safety as
a cost centre and said it was "unquestionably" making hate worse.[e]
TIME NOW for a short break on the tech beat, and in the veign of facebook drop us a comment
and let the arguments begin about the pros and con’s of having to take an ad break
in the first place!
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Welcome back to the tech beat! I’m James Preston asking you to swipe right on this
show and then make the first move in downloading all this juicy juicy content! It’s a social
media focused edition today, but most of the news surrounding these tech giants isn’t
particularly social! That includes news from Australia’s cyber space. [g] Australia is
considering new data-privacy rules that could make it illegal for social-media companies
to direct children to harmful content. [e] This is the latest move by lawmakers around
the world to address concerns about the impact of online platforms on young people’s mental
health. Australia’s government on Monday released draft legislation that would enable
the creation of a binding online-privacy code for tech companies. The legislation is expected
to be introduced in Australia’s parliament early next year. If passed, Australia’s
privacy regulator would oversee the development of a code within 12 months, with input from
the tech industry. The Code would require Facebook and other social media companies
to ensure that a child’s best interests are the primary consideration when collecting,
using and disclosing a child’s personal information. [g] For children under 16, social
media platforms should get parental approval to create an account. [e] David Coleman, Australian
Deputy Minister for Mental Health, said in a statement that algorithms that direct children
to content such as content about eating disorders or extreme diets, self-harm content, dangerous
pranks and other issues which is clearly not in the best interests of children – the
goal to outlaw such instances in the future. Australia’s privacy regulator would investigate
possible breaches of the new rules and companies could be fined 10% of their annual Australian
revenues for serious breaches, an amount that could run into the tens of millions of dollars
for the tech giants. Services like dating apps, chat rooms and video conferencing platforms
could also qualify as social media, according to a government briefing on the new rules.
These services would be subject to the same child protection requirements as Facebook
under Australia’s new privacy proposal. [g] Data brokerage services, such as credit
bureaus and major online platforms, including Alphabet’s Google would be subject to new
requirements. [e] But the strictest rules, like the 16-year age limit, would only apply
to platforms in the social media category. Google said it had no immediate comment on
the proposed rules. As for my final comment – I think it’s a great thing, social media
is increasingly having a harmful impact on emerging generations who feel the need to
look or act in a certain way during precious formative years, its time to let kids be kids
without even more pressure being placed upon them.
ALRIGHT, well that’s all for this edition of the tech beat, I hope you enjoyed the show
and until next Thursday remember to keep your head in the icloud and take a gigabyte out
of life!