Should social media platforms be fined for failing to remove misinformation and disinformation?

Question

Should social media platforms be fined?

Lliam · Accepted Answer

Absolutely NOT! That's not their job. Besides, who gets to decide what is misinformation or disinformation, the oh so honest government or some biased and non-accountable private corporation? Who gets to check the fact checkers?

Censorship is used by dishonest people to manipulate public opinion. It's what dictators do.

Honest opinions and factual truth is regularly blocked or banned by these fuckers.

And Fauci is one of the biggest liars in history, yet he hasn't been banned.

Mainstream media spews lies, misinformation and disinformation all the time. Maybe they should be punished.

I'd say that publishers and broadcasters should be held responsible if they spread false or misleading information. But social media companies are not publishers of their own content. And if they are going to take a stand on what is truth, they should be held accountable if they are wrong.

I have an idea. How 'bout if gullible people learn to open their minds, use their powers of reason, process information and formulate informed opinions, instead of depending on "authorities" to tell them what to think. Do we want to be treated like children?

GoodGuyBreakingBad · Accepted Answer

Yes, something needs to be done with these cyberbullies, it's sad people got to stoop so low.

reds-noro · Accepted Answer

Only if they completely neglect removing misinformation that can easily lead to someone's health being in danger.

It's news outlets that spread dangerous misinformation that should really be focused on. People on social media won't get as many stupid ideas that way AND news outlets are directly in control of what gets published.

Do note that I am talking about health threatening misinformation. Like saying that drinking 4 liters of pineapple juice every 2 hours is a good thing to do. Or that you should physically attack people with a certain trait to protect something. There is not much we can do against most misinformation. It is too numerous and often too obscure/uncertain.

GoingNooWhere · Accepted Answer

Yes absolutely there are people on Facebook who post a bunch of lies claiming if you contact this person on whatsapp they can cure your HIV and your HSV 2 these 2 are not curable yet Facebook refuses to remove them

They should also be fined for refusing to remove videos that clearly show people committing crimes. Tiktok is still refusing to remove a video that showed a group of teenagers filming themselves stabbing a 16 year old for absolutely no reason that left the kid in critical condition. They should also be fined for refusing to remove fake accounts that scam people.

Anonymous · Answer

Back when government said that the expression of "covid vaccines wane in efficacy" was disinformation/misinformation (of which ended up being true, self-admitted by not only government but by big pharma as well), do you think social media platforms that didn't censor those perspectives should have been fined?

Do you recall what government said about those who said "you can still catch and transmit covid despite having the vaccine"? Do you recall Obama, Biden, and a plethora of others catching and transmitting it post-vaccination?

Or what about back when interracial marriage was not only not legal, but frowned upon. Or maybe when homosexuality was illegal. Should government back then have imposed fines on businesses that didn't crack down on what most people (wrongfully) considered false and dangerous information and rhetoric?

The problem with "disinformation" and "misinformation" is that people don't know when they're wrong. And it's wrong to censor people's correct expressions.

Additionally, if all we do to (allegedly) incorrect people is silence them, how will we know that they feel this way and how van we ever convince then of different perspectives and understandings?

Lastly, you might have a government you trust now. But what happens when government changes over time, and now suddenly they aren't trust worthy. Do you want them having the power to pick and choose what things you're allowed to say?

Friendlybro79 · Answer

I don't know. My gut says the prob with misinformation or disinformation is that depending on who is reading it. I have a belief that when science says something that even though not perfect, and things change as we learn more, some people just think science is fake. So that would be disinformation to them and flat earth is real.

So if you think flat earth is real and I don't we can't even agree with what is disinformation. That's the problem with the world today. We can't even agree that the sky is blue anymore.

So to find a platform for disinformation we would all, or at least something, would have to be the judge of what is real. Then we would need to stop babying and catering to imbeciles and tell them they're wrong and completely ignore when they argue censorship.

So if I had to say fine them, I'd say yes fine them but allow them to keep posting. People need to be smarter too. That's another problem.

Mansearching · Answer

I've said this before. I agree something needs to be done besides it being removed. I got backlash people telling me its called freedom of speech. But not when its not the truth or partly the truth.

Of course some penalty should be given to platforms that put out information that's not the truth.

But who is going to say point A is the truth or a lie? Very hard. 2 reporters can report on issue. 1 can say report X is the truth and other can say report Y is the truth. Which one is it? Is it a p-o-v? Sure it is. No one can say which p-o-v is a truth or lie.

If we're talking blaten lies, to me, platform should fined and if not paid, it should be taken down. Unplug them.

jshm2 · Answer

Don't be daft.

That's like you being fined for what whatever is done on your street.

Online platforms are multinational and very complex. It's not simply a case of "click, report and it's gone". There are many rules and procedures that things have to follow, and it varies from country and state too.

In essence it's undemocratic and profiteering by governments, to fine businesses that are acting within procedures. What governments should be doing instead is changing their laws. But that would mean hard work. Governments want an easier ride, not a harder one.

Sanser · Answer

Yes but WHAT is misinformation? I mean, we saw that twitter was literally a leftist social media who only worked for a part of the political society. The other was just left... a lot of comunist leaders had their accounts while some politics hadn't. What is better? Have a platform that controls everything and at the end is friend with a politic movement or a free speech platform? Both have their advantages and disadvantajes... I think that for example twitter is now a good social media platform that you can have free speech and give notes to have context about one tweet or even says if a tweet is not true.

BoopBoopBeep · Answer

No, it would stifle all communication because nothing would be posted until it was cleared. The internet grows too quickly for that.

I can stand on the streetcorner and yell crazy ist all day. Whether you believe it or not is on you.

Drewtate · Answer

Who decides what is misinformation and disinformation? The government? Do you trust the government who has been giving us all misinformation and disinformation for decades?

Basically if the government or a political party does not like something it can be deemed as misinformation or disinformation to shut it down.

exitseven · Answer

The problem with thjat is just who decides what is misinformation. Most Social media platforms are run by liberals and conservative view points are often buried and conservatives are often banned from these sites. Imagine banning the President of THe United states from a social media site? Unfortunately that is what we have today.

Grond21 · Answer

No, because then means we have to have a federal government that decides what is true and what is false. This is one of the fastest ways to introduce tyranny known to man.

strateguy632 · Answer

if they write the disclaimer used during CELEBRITY interviews "the views and opinions are the users not necessarily the company" then no responsibility. same as in interviews.

Static_In_The_Attic · Answer

As for misinformation and disinformation social media platforms shouldn’t be fined however the person or persons that posted them should be fined instead.

RyanK9b · Answer

No, this turns just into an shit tornado in censoring and people who thinks knows the truth. Covid and shit just should perfectly how wrong the main media and politicians was and bad such "truth" controlling is.

motownplayer2000 · Answer

That’s a slippery slope. There should be a fine for intentional disinformation or whatever. But somethings sources aren’t as reliable as you think they are and the story evolves and changes. Not misinformation if the source is wrong. And we are human, sometimes your highly trusted source can get things wrong. So if it is proven it’s intentional to misguide, there should be more than just a fine.

slatyb · Answer

Is they were, there wouldn't be any social media sites.

Miristheiss · Answer

No. Free sppeech means people get to weigh and decide who is telling truth. Who is deciding what is misinformation? We cannot trust the state... it is corrupt.

Sharkstealth · Answer

What isn't? A college degree is only good for 10 years. That number could be 10 to 20 from off the top of my head but that's a fact. History changes constantly as they find documentation to change even past history.

richardcory · Answer

Who gets to decide what is "misinformation"?

Alex8736 · Answer

They have been sued many times releasing people's personal information

computer_nerd · Answer

they should be fined for sure. but i dont think that will ever happaned.

brandon1122 · Answer

They should be dined for storing users data for months even when they delete their account?

Bobbysworld · Answer

I think people should have some common sense and not follow everything on social media to the T. Do your own research make your own decisions use everything else good for thought

DJB72 · Answer

No. People who are too stupid to tell the difference however...

Nik1hil · Answer

Yep and also Failing to remove Filters from camera shots..

msc545 · Answer

No - they are just the platform, not the censor.

loveslongnails · Answer

Only if it's of a "serious" nature.

Amur8711 · Answer

No, because that can so easily be used to silence an opposing opinion or even the real facts. Such as it did during Covid-19 pandemic.

Anonymous · Answer

No. As aggravating as it is it's up to all of us to shun misinformation. One you start censoring where do you stop?

JeffersonA · Answer

Yes or required to monitor them some what.

Jazzy54 · Answer

Yes. That would be helpful.

gothbxtch · Answer

yes absokutely

Anonymous · Answer

Yeap, along with other fucked up material.

Anonymous · Answer

Yes. They should be fined

BarryLiverstone · Answer

Nope

Anonymous · Answer

No, but they should be for child porn

BLP11520 · Answer

I think so

Should social media platforms be fined for failing to remove misinformation and disinformation?

Most Helpful Opinions

Most Helpful Opinions

What Girls & Guys Said

Should social media platforms be fined for failing to remove misinformation and disinformation?

Most Helpful Opinions

Most Helpful Opinions

What Girls & Guys Said

We're glad to see you liked this post.