Isn't this just the best thinking anyone could possibly have that the use of government regulation will solve the problem of consumer ignorance, gullibility and duplicity. Please explain what government department or agency that's producing positive results for the general public?
Are the giants of social media biased in favor of socialist agendas? Absolutely
But this bill from these three toads would be laughable if it weren't so serious. Just the thought that we have to regulate the dissemination of information because these three deem it necessary as the general public is too stupid and mentally weak to make decisions on their own to survive what they read, hear and watch on the internet.
Are many among us suffering diminished capacity? Absolutely.
At the same time this entire process is very frightening in that this is the 100 anniversary of the Communist revolution that demanded capitulation and obedience to a central authority. Is this the beginning of the end, hardly. But the thinking is similar. The government must take control for the sake of protecting the well being of the helpless general public.
'We in the government know what best for everyone'. It hasn't been that long ago the someone said he would ''fundamentally transform'' America into a society more equal and fair. The results of this effort to bring civil society into the twenty first century with policies and regulations to level the playing field is now playing out in our cities, towns and universities around the country.
Growing Number of Americans Oppose Government Regulation of Social Media
Rob Bluey / @RobertBluey /
Last week’s congressional hearings with Facebook, Twitter, and Google may have had the opposite effect of what lawmakers intended. A new poll from Axios and SurveyMonkey reveals that “more Americans are now wary of the government going too far to regulate web platforms than before the hearings,” according to Axios’ David McCabe.
Representatives from Facebook, Twitter, and Google testified before three congressional committees in a two-day span last week. Members of both political parties attacked them for failing to curtail Russia’s alleged interference in the presidential election.
All three technologies companies have pledged to take steps to increase transparency of political ads and crack down on “fake” news. Those changes, however, don’t go far enough for lawmakers who proposed legislation to regulate the companies. Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va.; Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; and John McCain, R-Ariz., introduced the Honest Ads Act last month.
“In the wake of Russia’s attack on the 2016 election,” McCain said, “it is more important than ever to strengthen our defenses against foreign interference in our elections.” So far, however, lawmakers haven’t discovered any evidence that Russia’s meddling on social media affected the outcome of the election.
According to Facebook’s estimates, Russian-linked content could have reached as many as 126 million users, but that content represents 0.004 percent of what those users would have seen on the platform over a two-year period. Facebook has 1.37 billion daily active users.
The Russian-linked ads reached even fewer people, and prompted former Clinton pollster Mark Penn to write in The Wall Street Journal, “You Can’t Buy the Presidency for $100,000.” Spending on the 2016 presidential race totaled $2.4 billion, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
According to the Axios-SurveyMonkey poll, Americans are more skeptical about a government solution than the lawmakers proposing one. (See the crosstabs.) “After the hearings,” McCabe writes for Axios, “57 percent said that they are concerned the government will go too far in regulating the operations of technology companies, up from 52 percent before the hearings.”
Those numbers are consistent across the political spectrum, although Democrats are less concerned about government regulation than Republicans and independents.
Platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have risen in popularity among Americans not just for political activity but also for news. More than a quarter of U.S. adults get their news from social media, and nearly half rely on Facebook for news, according a recent Pew Research Center report.
Those platforms and others have also given more people a voice in the political process.
“[The] ability to share and express yourself is more important than any other purpose of social media,” according to one respondent of the Axios-SurveyMonkey poll. “It is the responsibility of those consuming that information to place proper perspective on what they read.”
President Donald Trump, both during his winning campaign and after, has cited his use of Facebook and Twitter as a way to bypass the media and communicate directly with the American people.
“The wariness of government regulation is widespread and bipartisan enough to be a warning to lawmakers who want to pursue it,” writes Mike Allen, co-founder of Axios.
The poll was conducted Nov. 2-3 with a sample of 5,503 people and a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
Are the giants of social media biased in favor of socialist agendas? Absolutely
But this bill from these three toads would be laughable if it weren't so serious. Just the thought that we have to regulate the dissemination of information because these three deem it necessary as the general public is too stupid and mentally weak to make decisions on their own to survive what they read, hear and watch on the internet.
Are many among us suffering diminished capacity? Absolutely.
At the same time this entire process is very frightening in that this is the 100 anniversary of the Communist revolution that demanded capitulation and obedience to a central authority. Is this the beginning of the end, hardly. But the thinking is similar. The government must take control for the sake of protecting the well being of the helpless general public.
'We in the government know what best for everyone'. It hasn't been that long ago the someone said he would ''fundamentally transform'' America into a society more equal and fair. The results of this effort to bring civil society into the twenty first century with policies and regulations to level the playing field is now playing out in our cities, towns and universities around the country.
So, how is that working out?
Growing Number of Americans Oppose Government Regulation of Social Media
Rob Bluey / @RobertBluey /
Last week’s congressional hearings with Facebook, Twitter, and Google may have had the opposite effect of what lawmakers intended. A new poll from Axios and SurveyMonkey reveals that “more Americans are now wary of the government going too far to regulate web platforms than before the hearings,” according to Axios’ David McCabe.
Representatives from Facebook, Twitter, and Google testified before three congressional committees in a two-day span last week. Members of both political parties attacked them for failing to curtail Russia’s alleged interference in the presidential election.
All three technologies companies have pledged to take steps to increase transparency of political ads and crack down on “fake” news. Those changes, however, don’t go far enough for lawmakers who proposed legislation to regulate the companies. Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va.; Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; and John McCain, R-Ariz., introduced the Honest Ads Act last month.
“In the wake of Russia’s attack on the 2016 election,” McCain said, “it is more important than ever to strengthen our defenses against foreign interference in our elections.” So far, however, lawmakers haven’t discovered any evidence that Russia’s meddling on social media affected the outcome of the election.
According to Facebook’s estimates, Russian-linked content could have reached as many as 126 million users, but that content represents 0.004 percent of what those users would have seen on the platform over a two-year period. Facebook has 1.37 billion daily active users.
The Russian-linked ads reached even fewer people, and prompted former Clinton pollster Mark Penn to write in The Wall Street Journal, “You Can’t Buy the Presidency for $100,000.” Spending on the 2016 presidential race totaled $2.4 billion, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
According to the Axios-SurveyMonkey poll, Americans are more skeptical about a government solution than the lawmakers proposing one. (See the crosstabs.) “After the hearings,” McCabe writes for Axios, “57 percent said that they are concerned the government will go too far in regulating the operations of technology companies, up from 52 percent before the hearings.”
Those numbers are consistent across the political spectrum, although Democrats are less concerned about government regulation than Republicans and independents.
Platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have risen in popularity among Americans not just for political activity but also for news. More than a quarter of U.S. adults get their news from social media, and nearly half rely on Facebook for news, according a recent Pew Research Center report.
Those platforms and others have also given more people a voice in the political process.
“[The] ability to share and express yourself is more important than any other purpose of social media,” according to one respondent of the Axios-SurveyMonkey poll. “It is the responsibility of those consuming that information to place proper perspective on what they read.”
President Donald Trump, both during his winning campaign and after, has cited his use of Facebook and Twitter as a way to bypass the media and communicate directly with the American people.
“The wariness of government regulation is widespread and bipartisan enough to be a warning to lawmakers who want to pursue it,” writes Mike Allen, co-founder of Axios.
The poll was conducted Nov. 2-3 with a sample of 5,503 people and a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
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