Facebook exec says tech firms needs stronger regulation
Big tech is under fire for rampant misinformation and prolific hate speech
The technology industry needs stronger regulation to address issues like misinformation, privacy and harmful content, Facebook's VP of content policy has said.
Monika Bickert, who has worked at Facebook since 2012, believes government regulation can help to establish standards that all companies would be required to meet, enabling people to judge how companies enforce rules on their platforms.
It's not uncommon for market leaders to call for regulation, as they can use their dominant position to establish favourable rules - and, sometimes, make it more difficult for competitors.
"While there will no doubt be differing views, we should all agree on one thing: the tech industry needs regulation," Bickert wrote in an opinion piece in the Sunday Telegraph.
She added that Facebook is also advocating for democratic governments to set new rules for the internet on areas like elections, data, hate content and privacy, because it - apparently - believes that digital platforms should not be allowed to make those decisions on their own.
Bickert's comments come at the time when tech firms and their critics are heading to the UK parliament to discuss new rules to tackle harmful content online.
"The UK is one of the countries leading the way with wide-ranging proposals on everything from hate speech to child safety and, while we won't agree with all the details, we're pleased the online safety bill is moving forward," Bickert said, according to The Guardian.
Bickert said that once Parliament passes the regulation - officially known as the Online Harms Bill - the regulator, Ofcom, will ensure all tech firms are held to account.
She wrote that since joining Facebook nine years ago, she has helped the company develop its own rules on "what is and isn't allowed on our platforms".
"These policies seek to protect people from harm while also protecting freedom of expression.
"While people often disagree about exactly where to draw the line, government regulation can establish standards all companies should meet."
Facebook is currently facing intense scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators worldwide over its business practices.
Earlier this month, a former Facebook employee-turned-whistleblower accused the firm of prioritising profit over public safety.
Frances Haugen has provided thousands of Facebook's internal documents to lawmakers and regulators since leaving the company in May. She also shared those documents with the Wall Street Journal, which last month began releasing the findings in batches, sometimes referred to as the Facebook Files.
According to Haugen, Facebook's own evidence shows that the company has misled the public about making 'significant' progress against misinformation, hate speech and violence.
One document indicates that the social media platform takes action on only 3-5 per cent of hate and 0.6 per cent of violence and incitement content.
Haugen testified before a Senate subcommittee in a hearing this month about Facebook's research into the impact of Instagram on teenagers' mental health.
Last month, Facebook said it was pausing plans for a special version of Instagram aimed at children aged 10 to 12. The move came after a Wall Street Journal article accused the platform of ignoring and covering up evidence of the harm the app does to teenagers, particularly girls.
An internal Facebook presentation, cited in the WSJ's piece, noted that among teenage social media users who reported suicidal thoughts, 13 per cent of British users and 6 per cent of American users traced the issue to Instagram.
Last month, Facebook's semi-independent Oversight Board said that online platforms needs to have 'clear rules' and should enforce them 'consistently' to give the users confidence that they will be treated fairly on the platform.