This note will be updated as and when witnesses appear in front of various committees that are addressing the topic of misinformation and the use of personal data.
Facebook should let Nick Clegg influence things in two ways
Today is the first day for former UK Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, as Facebook’s new head of global policy and communications. The move inevitably triggered contrasting reactions, but signals Facebook’s willingness to engage with institutions more constructively in the future.
The debate on privacy regulation in the US has unequivocally begun
On 26 September 2018, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee of the US Senate hosted a hearing with representatives of ISPs (AT&T, Spectrum) and tech companies (Amazon, Apple, Google, Twitter). The hearing examined privacy policies of those companies and reviewed the current state of consumer data privacy regulation in the US.
Tech companies face greater scrutiny under EU Consumer Protection rules
The EC Commissioner for Justice, Vera Jourova, has made statements welcoming Airbnb’s effort to comply with EU consumer protection rules, particularly on the front of price transparency and recognition of users’ rights. Jourova also took the chance to criticise Facebook and Twitter, which are yet to implement some changes requested by the EC earlier this year.
New York shows the pivotal role of cities in regulating online platforms
Two recent decisions of New York City’s Council have imposed stringent rules on platforms in the vehicle hire and in the short-term rentals markets (in short, this means Uber and Airbnb, respectively). The rulings create significant obstacles to the current business models of both companies, and show how the impact of these platforms on the life of cities is still, at best, unclear.
Far-reaching regulation of social media in the UK draws closer
The interim report published by the DCMS committee of the UK parliament has cast a light not only on the role of social media platforms in spreading disinformation, but more importantly on the willingness of policymakers to take the matter into their own hands. The report issues a set of recommendations which would result in strong regulatory safeguards around platforms’ activity. If the UK government takes the committee’s recommendations on board, the self-regulatory approach could be off the table, in the UK at least.
Why the ICO’s Facebook investigation demonstrates the power regulators now have
On 10 July 2018, the UK Information Commissioner Office (ICO) published an update on its investigation into data analytics in political campaigns i.e. the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal. The ICO has decided to fine Facebook £500k – the maximum possible amount under pre-GDPR data protection rules. The fine would have been much higher had GDPR applied. It also sent warning letters to 11 political parties, requiring them to accept audits of their data protection practices, among other actions.
Technology companies start tackling screen addiction – social media should follow suit
The fact that the biggest OS providers have started taking action shows how important it is to tackle this issue; social media platforms now need to take similar steps, to avoid prescriptive regulation and to make sure they do not suffer reputational damage. We have captured these developments as part of our ongoing research into Fake News, which shows social media companies still have a lot to do in this respect.
Where next for the regulation of Facebook?
After the emergence of large-scale data breaches on Facebook’s platform, CEO Mark Zuckerberg accepted to appear before the respective parliamentary committees of the US Senate and Congress. The hearings highlighted that US politicians are now turning their attention to social media platforms, but have no coherent plan (and unclear intentions) on the measures to adopt. At the same time, there are clear indications that the EU’s GDPR will become a benchmark for data privacy worldwide.
Facebook’s privacy practices will now face thorough scrutiny
What started as criticism for not doing enough to spread disinformation online is now quickly escalating into inquiries about the way in which Facebook allows third parties to access its users’ data. Allegations that Facebook’s data have been misleadingly obtained, and used to profile approximately 50m users to run targeted political campaigns, have now prompted the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the company’s privacy practices.
