Story by Jodi Samuels
Recently social media giants such as Twitter have been experiencing a political reckoning regarding the reach of their platforms. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Russian government announced its move to slow Twitter traffic in response to its belief of the lack of oversight in removing “illegal” content such as posts with illicit drug use.
As reported by the New York Times, the Russian government has had a history of using measures to restrict their citizens’ internet freedoms however this move is different as it is placing stress on the platform by stating its inaction is violating the nations moralistic values. Twitter unfortunately may be associated in a group of bad apples where platforms such as Facebook have come under fire for lack of oversight of its content. Years of disinformation building within social media platforms may have finally pushed for a reckoning – even by an unapologetically authoritarian government such as Russia.
Precedents are being set as legislators are smartening up on Silicon Valley and using political strategy to curb the reach of social media. The only casualty here will be the people as the breakdown of the thin line between public interest and profit will come to a head. Social media restrictions in countries such as India and Russia are simply an example of the product of an unregulated modus operandi of social media giants.
Again, the casualty will be the people that are most reliant on these platforms for expressing freedoms, to gather information, organize and mobilize. There should be basic legislations in place for companies of this caliber as there is living example with Facebook executives only facing accountability after the damage had been done. This unaccountability has become a credible crutch for countries such as Russia to use in guise of enforcing public interest.
Beyond the Fold: Think Something New 