EU considers new powers to battle 'fake news' during elections
Brussels considers new powers to battle 'fake news'
during elections
Facebook data harvesting scandal triggers concern for
democratic institutions
The National April 2, 2018 Updated: April 2, 2018 04:23
PM
Brussels is considering new powers to prevent social media
companies spreading “fake news” during election periods, including a crackdown
ahead of the May 2019 European Parliament elections.
European security commissioner Sir Julian King is calling
for limits on the “harvesting” of personal information for political purposes
and more transparency on internal algorithms used by internet platforms to
promote stories. He proposes a "more binding approach" than
self-regulation.
In a letter to European commissioner for the digital
economy Mariya Gabriel, Mr King also said he wants technology companies to
reveal who funds “sponsored content” on their websites.
The “psychometric targeting activities” such as those of
Cambridge Analytica are just a “preview of the profoundly disturbing effects
such disinformation could have on the functioning of liberal democracies”, Mr
King wrote in a letter dated March 19 and seen by the Financial Times.
“It is clear that the cyber-security threat we are facing
is changing from one primarily targeting systems to one that is also increasingly
about deploying cyber means to manipulate behaviour, deepen societal divides,
subvert our democratic systems and raise questions about our democratic
institutions,” the letter adds.
Dutch politician Marietje Schaake warned that a broad
online crackdown could backfire if it is viewed as an EU attempt to stifle
criticism, the FT reported.
Concerns have been heightened worldwide since
whistleblower Christopher Wylie claimed UK-based firm Cambridge Analytica
scraped the Facebook data from 50 million users to target voters in the US
presidential election.
Cambridge Analytica denied the allegations in a March 29
statement, saying its work on the presidential campaign was based on data from
five sources including voter files from the Republican National Convention,
polling, campaign data from donors and other sources, and consumer data from commercial
brokers.
Cambridge Analytica
✔
@CamAnalytica
Replying to @CamAnalytica
Our work on the presidential campaign used these data
sources:
1) Voter files from the RNC
2) Continuous polling
3) Campaign data (donors, event attendees, etc)
4) Early and absentee voting returns
5) Consumer data from commercial brokers
10:34 AM - Mar 29, 2018
Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg has apologised for how the
social media company handled user data and promised to restrict developers’
access to data. But Mr Zuckerberg refused to answer questions from British
lawmakers over how millions of users' data got into the hands of political
consultancy Cambridge Analytica, Reuters reported.
Several EU member states are debating “anti-fake news
laws” in response to alleged Russian interference in European elections. While
British Prime Minister Theresa May has warned social media giants to shape up
or face fines, France, Germany and Ireland are considering legislation to
target fake news.
French President Emmanuel Macron, himself a target of
disinformation during his 2017 presidential bid, unveiled plans in January that
could allow judges to delete some Internet content, block access to website
during elections, and give France’s media regulator the power to remove
broadcasters’ rights to air content deemed “fake news”.
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