CHICAGO - The U.S. Senate may vote this week on overturning Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules aimed at guaranteeing an open Internet, whereby corporations were forbidden to give some people better access to the Web than others. And the fate of the so-called "net neutrality" rules could affect future protests like Occupy Wall Street.
At Occupy Chicago, communications volunteers count more than 33,000 Facebook "likes," 20,000 Twitter followers, and several thousand website hits every day.
So, some are asking, what would happen if the corporate entities that are the targets of protests were able to limit Internet traffic? That was tried at one point by the Egyptian government during the Arab Spring protests, and Betty Yu with the Center for Media Justice says it's a legitimate concern.
"A lot of this organizing that happened - sure, it was organic - but it would not be able to happen the way it happened, the way it flourished, if there wasn't an open Internet, period."
Opponents of net neutrality rules say they're not necessary and stifle business growth. Yu says the consolidation of wireless phone companies - like the proposed AT&T and T-Mobile merger - could also lead to a situation where the companies - or the government - could hamper Twitter communications.
Andrew Smith volunteers in the communications area of Occupy Chicago, where he says social media are used not only to mobilize demonstrators, but to make sure mainstream media report accurately on the protest.
"If false information is reported, then we can be like, 'Whoa, no; this is what really happened and here's why.' And using social networks to keep ourselves on message and to keep people informed is critical."
Betty Yu says the role of the Internet in organizing the "Occupy" protests makes the possible Senate showdown about net neutrality something to be watched closely.
"Big Brother is watching. And I think that it'll be interesting to see how the net neutrality fight plays out now."
Yu says mainstream media no longer determine how protests get covered.
"There are about close to 40,000 videos up online of the Occupy movement. That just goes to show you how these tools have really democratized the process of capturing protests, capturing democracy in action and being able to share it."
Some contemporary protestors use the chant of the 1968 anti-war protestors in Chicago, "The Whole World is Watching." It could have much wider meaning some four decades later.
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Experts are saying social media algorithms are radicalizing users and increasing extremism in Arizona and around the country ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
Michael Chertoff, a member of the National Council on Election Integrity, said better protecting data privacy could make the algorithms less destructive, without infringing on free speech.
"I do think we could regulate access to data, uses of data and the application of algorithms to that data without offending the First Amendment," Chertoff contended.
Chertoff pointed out data is one of the most critical ingredients in building algorithms using artificial intelligence. He argued data collection by Big Tech companies should be better regulated, as it is used to send specifically targeted and polarizing messages to consumers. A large majority of Americans said they have little to no trust in companies to use AI responsibly, according to the Pew Research Center.
Farah Pandith, senior adviser for the Anti-Defamation League, noted extremism and radicalization are not decreasing. She suggested the first step to improve the situation is by having government and nongovernment stakeholders acknowledge the severity of the situation and to start having more conversations, which she contended is not happening at the scale it needs to be.
"You're not seeing the commitment as a priority area," Pandith stressed. "That shows up in the funding that is required for NGOs that are doing the first responses to all of this that come up with the creative ways. It doesn't show up in the way in which we can scale solutions that we know."
Pandith added solutions are available and called on social media platforms to assume more responsibility for the inciteful content they display.
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A contentious congressional hearing on Wednesday saw a unanimous push for regulations on social media specifically related to children.
U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley - R-MO - pushed Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to apologize to families of child victims over social media that caused exploitation, harm and death.
The CEOs of Meta, X - formerly Twitter, TikTok, Discord and Snap testified at the hearing. Zuckerberg and Snap's CEO Evan Spiegel gave apologies for the first time, after Hawley put them on the spot.
"Would you like to do so now? Well, they're here, you're on national television," said Hawley. "Would you like now to apologize to the victims who have been harmed by your products? Show them the pictures. Would you like to apologize for what you've done to these good people?"
Zuckerberg turned and stood and faced the audience and said "I'm sorry for everything you have all been through. No one should go through the things that your families have suffered and this is why we invest so much, and we are going to continue doing industrywide efforts to make sure no one has to go through the things your families have had to suffer."
Some victims' families have said although they were a surprise, they didn't think the apologies sounded sincere.
Members of Congress said they hoped to find common ground in an effort to create laws that would make the internet a safer place. Senators including Sen. Jon Ossoff - D-GA - repeatedly asked the social media tycoons to consider the victims and recognize the risks of being online.
"We want to work in a productive, open, honest and collaborative way to pass legislation that will protect American children above all," said Ossoff. "If we don't start with an open, honest, candid, realistic assessment of the issues, we can't do that if you're not willing to acknowledge the internet is a dangerous place for children."
Earlier this week, explicit deep-fake Artificial Intelligence images of pop icon Taylor Swift were also released on X.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced that legislation would be the obvious way to remedy this type of offense.
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The use of social media to organize the Jan. 6 insurrection marked a turning point in American political protest, according to a leading media and disinformation scholar in Massachusetts.
The "networked incitement" fueled false claims of a stolen election while rioters coordinated in real time across multiple online platforms.
Joan Donovan, assistant professor of journalism and emerging media studies at Boston University, said the 'MAGA Republican' movement became a weaponized volunteer army directed by tweets from former President Donald Trump.
"The problem here was that social media was weaponized against the voting public to plant so many of these egregious stories," Donovan asserted.
Trump has repeatedly asked his supporters to monitor polling stations and "guard the vote" in the upcoming election. Donovan observed the social media infrastructure to coordinate those efforts is already being set up online.
Donovan pointed out the charging and sentencing documents of more than 400 Jan. 6 defendants reveal the majority wanted to support Trump and prevent what he called a "rigged election."
She is convinced without greater regulation and penalties for the misuse of social media, popular figures will use disinformation to incite political violence.
"These people have learned that the next attempt is going to be much more strategic, to prevent election officials from counting votes and certifying those votes," Donovan explained.
Donovan emphasized it will take what she calls a "whole of society" approach to counter the dangers of disinformation online. She suggested government officials and media outlets can use social media to educate the public about the democratic process. And politicians can ensure transparency of donations to political action committees, which often create media disinformation campaigns.
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