[ad_1]
On Wednesday, in the midst of a tense Senate session about the dangers of social media, Mehta CEO Mark Zuckerberg stood up, turned around and said his platforms Facebook and Instagram are harming children. I was confronted by family members (some of whom had photos) who accused me of adding to the list.
“I’m sorry for everything you’ve been through,” Zuckerberg said. “No one should have to go through what your family has had to go through. That’s why we’ve invested so much money to ensure that no one has to go through what your family has had to go through. We intend to continue our efforts to lead the industry.”
The unusual public apology comes amid scathing criticism from lawmakers and child advocates who say the industry has failed for years to protect its most vulnerable users from abuse and exploitation.
In bipartisan consensus through a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Congress condemned the leaders of some of the nation’s top social media companies and called on them to take immediate steps to protect children and youth online.
“I use it, and everyone uses it, and there’s a good side to everything here. But the dark side is still unaddressed,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R.S.C. said. “People have taken your idea and turned it into a nightmare for the American people, and now it’s time to address the dark side.”
Concerns about the negative effects of social media use on America’s youth have reached a fever pitch in recent months. Last year, a public health advisory issued by the Surgeon General said social media use posed a “risk of serious harm” to the mental health of children and teens and called on technology companies to take “immediate action.” I asked for
Lawmakers will use the hearing to introduce a series of bills aimed at “stopping online child exploitation,” including the STOP CSAM Act, which would allow victims of child exploitation to sue tech platforms. Promoted submission.
Mr. Zuckerberg and other technology leaders claimed they were increasing safeguards to isolate children and teens on their platforms. Critics vehemently opposed this.
“I think Congress has to help you,” said Sen. John Kennedy (R-Louisiana). “I think in some ways the reforms you’re talking about will be like putting paint on rotten wood. ”
And while the lawmakers blamed social media companies, they also acknowledged that they were contributing to the problem. She is the only child safety law passed by Congress in the past decade.
Who are the witnesses?
Witnesses include:
- Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg
- X CEO Linda Yaccarino
- TikTok CEO Shou Zhi Chu
- Snap CEO Evan Spiegel
- Discord CEO Jason Citron
This will be the eighth time Zuckerberg has testified before Congress. It was the first time that Mr. Yaccarino, Mr. Spiegel and Mr. Citron had been subpoenaed in court. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Citron “accepted service of this subpoena only after U.S. Marshals were dispatched to Discord’s headquarters at taxpayer expense.”
Tech company leaders said they are ready to work with lawmakers to address concerns.
“It is my sincere hope that today marks the beginning of an ongoing dialogue that will lead to real improvements in online safety,” Citron said.
Congress targets social media:Some people don’t know much about push
Highlights of the hearing
Zuckerberg declined request to expand child safety team: Lawmakers on Wednesday released internal Meta documents showing Zuckerberg rejected a 2021 request to add dozens of employees to focus on the welfare and safety of children.
“(This is) why we can no longer trust Meta, and frankly other social media, to actually grade homework,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut.
Zuckerberg told the victims’ families: Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) urged Zuckerberg to apologize directly to the victims’ families and suggested the billionaire establish a victims’ compensation fund. Mr. Zuckerberg did not intend to commit to the idea during the hearing.
TikTok comes under fire for ties to China: Lawmakers have expressed concern that TikTok, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, is sharing user data with the Chinese government. CEO Chu claimed that the company had spent billions of dollars on projects aimed at protecting U.S. user data, and that the company “has not requested any data from the Chinese government and has provided it.” Not at all,” he said.
Lawmakers emphasize cross-partisan unity: Child welfare on social media is a rare issue that transcends partisan politics. Senator Graham emphasized that both Democrats and Republicans agree that tech companies need more regulatory oversight.
“We found amazing common ground here,” he said.
Boeing comparison: Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, and Chris Coons, D-Delaware, both contrasted regulations in the technology and airline industries, citing the rapid response after a Boeing plane lost a panel in the air earlier this month. emphasized.
“No one questioned the decision to ground a fleet of more than 700 planes. So why are we so concerned about the dangers of these platforms when we know children are dying?” Why not take similar decisive action against them?” Klobuchar asked.
What does the platform say?
Heads of social media platforms balked when asked if they supported the five bills the committee is pushing forward as written, but said they had already taken steps to protect young users.
Mr. Yaccarino, head of Company X, said the company is building a content moderation center in Austin, Texas. He also said the company supports the STOP CSAM Act. TikTok CEO Chu emphasized safety measures such as disabling direct messaging for accounts owned by users under 16 and automatically making the accounts private.
According to Zuckerberg’s written testimony, Meta has introduced a number of features to help parents and teens, including the ability for parents to set limits on the time and duration their children can use Meta’s services. These include controls, settings to hide sensitive content, and nudge tools to remind teens when using the service. You’re using Instagram for too long or late at night.
“We are committed to protecting young people from abuse in our services, but this is an ongoing challenge,” Zuckerberg said in written testimony.
Snap and X, the companies behind instant messaging app Snapchat, also support the Kids Online Safety Act, which could lead to more lawsuits against tech companies that promote content harmful to young users. (Some critics worry it could lead to censorship of transgender content online.)
“As with any technology or tool, there are people who misuse and abuse our platform for immoral and illegal purposes,” said Citron, Discord’s CEO. “To all of us here on this panel today, and to the entire technology industry, we have the solemn and urgent need to ensure that everyone who uses our platforms, both online and offline, is protected from these criminals. are responsible.”
Lawmakers noted that many of these safeguards were added in the weeks leading up to the Senate hearing, including X’s new content moderation center and Meta’s additional protections for teens on its platform.
What are the legislators saying?
Critics say the social media platforms’ tools aren’t going far enough and hope the hearing will spur lawmakers to take action. Politico reported that Congress has passed only one child safety law in the past decade.
“I’m tired of talking. I’m tired of arguing,” Graham said. “Please open the courthouse doors. Nothing will change until you do so.”
[ad_2]
Source link
