Tag: social media

TikTok is targeted in the US for being Chinese, not for what it has or has not done

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March 26, Leo Yu, clinical professor of legal writing, advocacy and research at the SMU Dallas Dedman School of Law, for a piece about TikTok that explores to what extent anti-Chinese bias has contributed to the platform’s negative reputation in Congress. Published in the South China Morning Post under the heading: TikTok is targeted in the US for being Chinese, not for what it has or has not done: https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3214395/tiktok-targeted-us-being-chinese-not-what-it-has-or-has-not-done
https://tinyurl.com/yc8k8pch

What is the problem with TikTok? The US Congress unequivocally answered this question through a five-hour grilling on Thursday: it is China.

Let’s face it, the national security concern about TikTok appears to be tenuous at best. At the hearing where TikTok CEO Chew Shou Zi was questioned by US lawmakers, the only incident raised that can remotely support this concern is one in which some employees at TikTok’s parent company, the Beijing-based ByteDance, inappropriately obtained the data of American TikTok users, including two reporters. ByteDance acknowledged the wrongdoing and swiftly fired the responsible employees.

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The 5th Circuit got it wrong in Texas social media case

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Oct. 2, Jared Schroeder, associate professor of journalism at SMU Dallas and a specialist in social media and First Amendment issues, for a commentary critical of a federal court ruling that upheld some Texas social media legislation that many deem unconstitutional. Published in the Dallas Morning News under the heading The 5th Circuit got it wrong in Texas social media case: https://tinyurl.com/3bt86kf5

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated Texas’ social media law on Sept. 16. All it had to do was ignore nearly a century of precedent.

The appeals court, which is one step below the Supreme Court, turned a legal no-brainer into a meandering 113-page grab-bag of ideas.

Among other things, the Texas law prohibited large social media platforms (those with more than 50 million active users) from censoring content based on the users viewpoint.

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A new EU law will influence U.S. free speech more than Elon Musk

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April 29, Jared Schroeder, associate professor of journalism at SMU Dallas and a specialist in Frist Amendment issues, for a commentary explaining how social media regulations passed in Europe often are adopted world-wide — including in the U.S. where crafting internet law has been difficult in the partisan atmosphere. Published in The Hill under the heading A new EU law will influence US free speech more than Elon Musk : https://bit.ly/3knjqys 

Elon Musk reached an agreement on Monday to purchase Twitter after criticizing the platform for failing to reach its free speech potential. If the deal holds, he has promised to take the company private, which means he and those he hires will control what free speech looks like on the site. But Musk’s $44 billion purchase ultimately might not be the biggest news when it comes to free speech on the internet.

On April 23, European lawmakers passed the Digital Services Act (DSA), the European Union’s most recent attempt to rein in big tech firms such as Apple, Google and Meta. The law, which is expected to take effect in 2024, essentially enforces European values regarding free expression, corporate responsibility and fostering a pluralistic society.

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As social media turns 25, we’re still perplexed about regulating bad actors

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April 9, Jared Schroeder, associate professor of journalism at SMU Dallas and a specialist in Frist Amendment issues, for a commentary acknowledging the 25thAnniversary of social media and U.S. lawmakers’ inept attempts to regulate the platforms. Published in The Hill under the heading: As social media turns 25, we’re still perplexed about regulating bad actors: https://bit.ly/37Crloh 

You’ve probably never heard of Six Degrees. The name sounds a bit like a forgettable boy band from the late-1990s. That isn’t far from the truth. In 1997, before platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat dominated the information universe, Six Degrees became the first social media site. Its anniversary was in January. We forgot it.

While Six Degrees persists, like the Backstreet Boys, off our radars but still online, we can’t forget the massive impact the service heralded as social media grew to consume our lives and our very realities.

Along with cat videos, social media ushered in an era of falsity, extremism and othering that, at times, has come to threaten democracies around the world. The Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach, for example, likely was planned and performed for social-media audiences. It was done in real life, but documented for virtual audiences. We’re a long way from Six Degrees — maybe 180, at this point, from where we should be.

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Spotify minus Joni Mitchell reminds us that social media is more like a parking lot than a paradise

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Feb. 3, Jared Schroeder, associate professor of journalism at SMU Dallas and a specialist in Frist Amendment issues, for a piece that explains the business motivations of Spotify and the options consumers have if they don’t wish to support unregulated social media platforms. Published in the Houston Chronicle under the heading: Spotify minus Joni Mitchell reminds us that social media is more like a parking lot than a paradise : https://bit.ly/3GoUOhp

Great. Now we can’t listen to Joni Mitchell on Spotify anymore.

But we can still listen to “The Joe Rogan Experience,” whatever that is.

Spotify, thanks to Neil Young, was shoved into the blaring, often unintelligible, spotlight of the national content-moderation conversation last week.

It joined Meta, which is what Facebook wants us to call it now, Twitter, and YouTube, all of whom continue to experience criticism for very public growing pains about how they handle how people use their spaces.

Young gave the music-streaming giant an ultimatum: Remove Rogan’s popular podcast because it’s communicating false and misleading health information or take his music off the platform. Spotify chose to remove Young’s music, and Mitchell asked her music be removed as well.

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Yes, it’s time to act against Facebook – just don’t put the government in charge

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Oct. 6, Jared Schroeder, associate professor of journalism at SMU Dallas, for a commentary about Facebook and ways to mitigate social media bad practices. Published in USA Today under the heading Yes, it’s time to act against Facebook – just don’t put the government in charge: https://bit.ly/3oFMioR

What did we really learn from the whistleblower about Facebook this week?

Not much. We were reminded Facebook has privileged profit over the well-being of democracy. Our suspicions that Facebook prioritized revenue and new users over the mental health of young women on Instagram were confirmed.

This week was a lot like an hour spent on Facebook. It seemed like we were learning new information, but at the same time, we came away with nothing of value. The best we can say is we were reminded Facebook is not good for us, or the flow of information in democracy.

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Oversight Board achieving what government cannot

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May 6,  Jared Schroeder, associate professor of Journalism specializing in Free Press/Free Speech at SMU Dallas,  for an analysis of action taken by the Oversight Board regarding the status of former President Trump who is still banned from Facebook and other social media platforms. Published in The Hill: https://bit.ly/3eUrPGu

​The Oversight Board upheld former President Donald Trump’ssuspension from Facebook and Instagram on Wednesday, and social media are better for it.

While much of the news cycle and often fact-averse pundits and lawmakers will focus on the board’s decision not to immediately reinstate Trump, the bigger development is the review board, which continues to mature into a body that has the power to do something no other entity can, tell a social media firm what to do.

In Trump’s case, the board upheld his suspension, but demanded Facebook reassess its decision and gave the company six months to revise and clarify its policies. In other words, the board demanded Facebook write clearer rules and follow them. No government entity could make that happen.

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Tech firms duke it out with Trump again in a no-win situation

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Aug. 1, Jared Schroeder, associate professor of Journalism specializing in Free Press/Free Speech at SMU Dallas, for a piece warning about the lack of progress curbing disinformation on Big Tech social media and internet platforms. Published in the Orange County Register and Southern California News Group affiliates. https://bit.ly/30iWUO6

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Emmy nominations came out this past week. It’s a shame the performances of our elected officials and tech barons in Washington were not considered.

President Trump, as well as Senate and House committees, turned their attention to internet regulation, creating a spectacle that was mostly misguided and incapable of resolving any actual concerns about the growing power of big-tech firms raise in our democracy.

Trump announced he was taking on regulating social media again. As is often the case, he has recognized a legitimate concern, but seems only capable of making it worse. . .

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Untangling the web we weave when Twitter tags elicit Trump threats

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May 28, Jared Schroeder, associate professor of Journalism specializing in Free Press/Free Speech at SMU Dallas, for a piece identifying what’s at stake – and what is not – in the “Freedom of Speech” tiff between President Trump and Twitter. Published in the Orange County Register and Southern California News Group: https://bit.ly/36DpdrX

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The First Amendment, social media, and the president became tangled up again Tuesday when Twitter for the first time tagged one of President Trump’s tweets as false and misleading.

Twitter added a link beneath a set of tweets about mail-in voting. The company urged users to “get the facts about mail-in ballots.” The link indicates there is no evidence of a correlation between voter fraud and mail-in ballots.

The president offered a variety of responses, including that the tag violated his free speech and that he might “shut down” or regulate Twitter.

Let me untangle this mess for you, one string at a time. . .

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Facebook’s Oversight Board needs greater authority

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May 20, Jared Schroeder, associate professor of Journalism specializing in Free Press/Free Speech at SMU Dallas (along with co-author Dipayan Ghosh, Harvard Kennedy School), for a piece advocating for an autonomous oversight board to police technology platforms. Published in Protego Press: https://bit.ly/2zfMwvJ

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Facebook announced the inaugural twenty members of its independent Oversight Board earlier this month.  But while the board is filled with esteemed and respected names, we believe its underlying concept will require further consideration in the way forward.

The board’s scope, which focuses primarily on take-down decisions, is limited and may not effectively address the myriad misinformation and disinformation problems that plague Facebook’s spaces. The board is also reactive, rather than proactive.  It seeks to close the gate after the chickens have fled the coop. Board decisions simply cannot come fast enough to effectively protect the flow of information. . .

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