Feb 27, 2018

The pushback against social media over-regulation

Kia Kokalitcheva

Roger McNamee, Laura Rosenberger, Renee DiResta, and John Heilemann on Feb. 27, 2018. Photo: Ina Fried / Axios

Experts at the NewCo Shift Forum in San Francisco are cautioning against over-regulation of social media platforms, arguing that social pressure can be more effective.

Why it matters: The public and government are deeply worried about these services' power, though it's unclear whether—and especially how—lawmakers will try to control them.

Remarks:

  • Social pressure and media pressure force the most rapid change from these platforms, said Renee DiResta, director of policy at Data for Democracy.
  • "We have got to close the trust gap between the Valley and the government, particularly the intelligence community," said Laura Rosenberger, director at Alliance for Securing Democracy.
  • "My goal is to appeal to the employees of these companies — do you want to be on the right side of democracy?," said Roger McNamee, Elevation Partners co-founder and early Facebook investor.

More: Former Bolivian president Jorge Fernando Quiroga had his own warning against over-regulation of social media companies.

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