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Discussion on: Papers We Love - Reflecting on Trusting Trust

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hoelzro profile image
Rob Hoelz

I can't help but think back to the Zukerberg hearings earlier this year and think how woefully unprepared our civic systems are.

I know exactly what you mean - every time I hear about tech interacting with Congress, or about a company that suffers data breach but no consequences, I get bummed out. And I don't think much will change unless politicians start understanding technology better, and maybe not even then.

I don't have any answers, but I think radically rethinking Section 230 is a good place to start.

I've never heard of Section 230 - I'll need to read up on that!

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thejessleigh profile image
jess unrein

Section 230 is basically what protects YouTube from responsibility for inappropriate or illegal content and insulates Facebook from the fact that it hosts hate groups and facilitates real world violence. It was a 90s provision in Congress that makes it so that websites are not legally liable for the content that users upload to the site, as long as it is dealt with when people ask. So, YouTube complies with 230 by taking down copyright violations, for example. It legally shifts responsibility for content from the platform to the individual

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thejessleigh profile image
jess unrein

It's immensely complicated, because the internet as we know it couldn't exist without section 230. If geocities had been responsible for the content on each site hosted through them, that would have been a disaster. There would have been no YouTube, which was basically created to upload copyrighted material for rewatching. But companies have been using this shield and not adequately enforcing good content practices because of it.

For a more in depth discussion from a modern viewpoint, here's a recent interview between Kara Swisher and Ron Wyden (who helped author the Communications Decency Act, including Section 230)

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hoelzro profile image
Rob Hoelz

Wow, that's amazing and kind of terrifying. Thanks for the explanation!

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rhymes profile image
rhymes

@thejessleigh right now the EU is talking about passing what we call Article 13, a monstruosity that's basically the opposite of your Section 230. In the attempt of reforming copyright laws (which must be incredibly hard even if you are well versed in those and technology) they want to make companies liable, at the moment of the upload, for any copyright infringements in the uploads.

Tim Berners-Lee and Vint Cerf sent a letter to EU in summer, some EU MPs are furious at the state of things, companies like YouTube are in crisis mode.

The are still a few chances to block in the next few months but the gist of the law is bonkers, as it was passed by a vast majority (twice the people that voted no, voted yes)