UPDATED 20:21 EDT / SEPTEMBER 03 2018

POLICY

British broadcasters want social media mammoths policed by government watchdog

Some of Silicon Valley’s leading tech firms are out of control, says a conglomeration of the U.K.’s top broadcasters, and something needs to be done about it.

In a joint letter Sunday to The Telegraph, broadcasters BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky, BT and TalkTalk said content that appears on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube is not regulated the way traditional media is, and that needs to be changed. The solution, the group said, is government oversight.

“We do not think it is realistic or appropriate to expect internet and social media companies to make all the judgment calls about what content is and is not acceptable, without any independent oversight,” said the letter. “There is an urgent need for independent scrutiny of the decisions taken, and greater transparency.”

The group said that the issues are wide-ranging, including the proliferation of “fake news” that might appear on the platforms. But the letter also argued that such platforms can be detrimental to mental health, especially that of younger people.

Many of these companies have been juggling these hot-potato issues for some time now. As they’ve come under scrutiny, they’ve been tinkering with their algorithms to make social interactions more “meaningful” or as Facebook in particular has put it, “time well-spent.” Still, the challenge of moderation has become a Sisyphean undertaking. Firms can be accused of oppressive moderation and then too little oversight in the same week.

The broadcasters aren’t asking for censorship, rather similar regulations that they face. ”It is about making the most popular internet platforms safer, by ensuring there is accountability and transparency over the decisions these private companies are already taking,” said the letter.

The U.K. government is already working on a white paper intended to address many of these issues. The group further stated that these investigations and resulting proposals provide a “golden opportunity” for the oversight they’re looking for.

At the same time, it’s no secret that these same traditional media are slowly being supplanted by these platforms. Reports have indicated that YouTube, for instance, was more recognized by children in the U.K. The group said tech firms should be paying for digital literacy skills for younger people, in view of the largely unmoderated content they see each day.

The group also said that because of how U.S. tech firms operate, they contribute less to the nation. Silicon Valley should cough up and drop more coins in the government coffers, the group indicated.

“We have been clear that more needs to be done to tackle online harms,” a government spokesperson said in response to the letter. “We are committed to further legislation.”

Image: Eelke/Flickr

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