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I may sound naive, but I think FB is just facing an incredibly hard problem: Finding the right balance between enabling free speech and avoiding harmful content
by yodsanklai 6y ago
I may sound naive, but I think FB is just facing an incredibly hard problem: Finding the right balance between enabling free speech and avoiding harmful content (and at the same time make a profit from their platform).
First, people constantly disagree on what this balance should be. And even in countries where free speech is legislated, it can be hard to assess whether laws were broken or not. I just don't see how they can find a solution that will please everyone.
This issue seems inherent to any social platform operating at the scale of FB.
- titanomachy 6y agoI agree that it's a hard problem. And they need to find a way to solve it. They have made unbelievable profits by creating an incredible and unprecedented tool that connects and amplifies people. The value created by those connections is real. Facebook has also caused major social consequences, since the tool also amplifies ideas that are spurious, hateful, andnd harmful. Facebook the near-trillion-dollar company doesn't get to keep raking in massive profits and pass off the social costs as someone else's problem. They should view solving it as integral to the viability of their business model. Society should hold them accountable for the lies that are spread on their platform, and for the hate crimes that wouldn't have been committed in a world without Facebook (e.g. the murder of Samuel Paty).
- jfrunyon 6y agoIt's not a balance between "enabling free speech and avoiding harmful content", it's a balance between keeping their customers and investors happy, and avoiding legal liability.