@ISIDEWITHQuestionsDomestic PolicyStarted 7yrs agoActive 7 days ago

Should the government regulate social media sites, as a means to prevent fake news and misinformation?

In January 2018 Germany passed the NetzDG law which required platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to take down perceived illegal content within 24 hours or seven days, depending on the charge, or risk a fine of €50 million ($60 million) fines. In July 2018 representatives from Facebook, Google and Twitter denied to the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary committee that they censor content for political reasons. During the hearing Republican members of Congress criticized the social media companies for politically motivated practices in removing some content, a charge the…  

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Answer Overview

Response rates from 787 Conservatism voters.

30%
Yes
70%
No
27%
Yes
59%
No
2%
Yes, there is too much fake news and misinformation on social media
7%
No, the government should not determine what is fake or real news
2%
Yes, social media companies are politically biased and need to be regulated
4%
No, social media companies are private and should not be regulated by the government

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Trend of how important this issue is for 787 Conservatism voters.

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from Conservatism voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @B46V7MRfrom Alberta  answered…3mos3MO

No, and the implication in the question that somehow the government and its proxies (ie. Five Eyes, NATO, UN, EU, etc.) are not the largest contributors to fake news and misinformation is truly hilarious. Thanks for the chuckle.

 @9HBRBWDfrom Ontario  answered…2yrs2Y

The government should not regulate, but make an effort to correct false information. For example, how Facebook places a pop up over a post to warn of possible false information.

 @B5WZ34Cfrom Alberta  answered…7 days7D

They should have two sections: 1. Confirmed and Peer Reviewed News 2. Unconfirmed & Misinformation NonNews

 @B53VRKCfrom British Columbia  answered…2mos2MO

I don’t believe the government should interfere with social media as it opens doors to a surveillance state

 @B53DZFCfrom Manitoba  answered…2mos2MO

Yes, but it may be a slippery slope, this could lead to the government deciding what news we receive, even if it is accurate

 @B529JZYfrom California  answered…2mos2MO

Yes, but this should not be the purview of a party platform. An arms length entity like the Canada Central Bank should be created to regulate AI and disinformation.

 @B524C9D from British Columbia  answered…2mos2MO

No, The government Should not interfere with private social media, but should introduce or clarify an official information source for government backed statements.

 @B4YZLQKfrom Ontario  answered…2mos2MO

Absolutely not. The current news is already too Liberal because they are funded by them. There would be more fake news if they did and it would be wasting money

Latest News

Stay up-to-date on the most recent “Social Media Regulation” news articles, updated frequently.

 @Vot3rVo1ceChloefrom Ohio  submitted…7mos7MO

Trump meeting TikTok CEO as ban deadline looms

US President-elect Donald Trump is meeting the CEO of TikTok as the social media giant fights plans to have it banned in the US.Trump was due to meet Shou Zi Chew at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Monday, the BBC's US partner CBS News reports, citing sources familiar with the meeting.A law passed earlier this year means TikTok will be banned unless it is sold by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, before 19 January.The company has made an emergency application to the US Supreme Court to have the ban delayed.The US wants TikTok sold or banned because of alleged links between ByteDance and the Chinese state, links that both TikTok and ByteDance have always denied.The bill introducing the law said it was intended to "protect the national security of the United States from the threat posed by foreign adversary controlled applications".Trump opposes the ban - despite supporting one during his first term - partly on the grounds that it could help Facebook, which he has accused of aiding his 2020 election loss.Trump's second term, however, won't begin until he is inaugurated on 20 January, the day after the deadline set out in the law.In its filing to the Supreme Court, submitted on Monday, TikTok asked for a "modest delay" to the enforcement of the ban to "create breathing room" for a review by the Court and to allow the incoming administration to "evaluate this matter".It described TikTok as "one of the most significant speech platforms" in the US and said the ban would do "immediate irreparable harm" to the company and its users.

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…12mos12MO

“Throw out everything you thought you knew about this election.”

By Chuck Todd, NBC News:We are getting awfully close to the moment when it might be fair to say, “Throw out everything you thought you knew about this election.”We are now going from a presidential campaign that left the public disinterested and at times disgusted it to a campaign that I could see generating an electorate that might be as interested, if not more so, as in 2008 and 2020, two of the highest-turnout elections in the last 50 years.If the Democrats do end up with a new nominee — and it’s looking more likely by the hour that they will — that, too, is likely to suddenly trigger interest in what the new nominee has to say, which in turn could engage the electorate in a way that the pre-debate version of this campaign just didn’t.But before we get to this campaign reset, the Democrats have to figure out what their ticket looks like and, more important, how quickly they can get their ticket selected and certified by the party.As of this writing, my sources indicate to me that about the only folks who are still trying to rationalize Biden’s staying in this race all share the last name of Biden, with the possible exception of Biden’s longtime chief political strategist, Mike Donilon — who, as the gatekeeper of the data that makes it to the president's desk, is starting to get blame along with Biden and his family for Democrats’ being in this position.

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