— 10 min read — Today is the 10th anniversary of the start of massive protests in Egypt that led to the removal of their autocratic leader, Hosni Mubarak. These protests came hot on the heels of demonstrations in Tunisia that had forced their President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali from power on January 14th…
Leave a CommentCategory: politics
— 13 min read — German Chancellor Angela Merkel has attracted a lot of (mostly favourable) attention for criticising the recent removal of Donald Trump’s social media accounts. As it is well known that she has strong political disagreements with the outgoing US President, her comments have been interpreted by some as a powerful argument…
8 Comments— 10 min read — Summary :- I explore the power of platforms to ‘eject’ people from their services following recent decisions about President Trump’s accounts.
Leave a Comment— 5 min read — The role of platforms in moderating content is a frequent topic of my posts, but it is important also to consider the ways in which people who use online services have a hand in moderating content. Some of this moderation activity is particular to each individual – we post content…
Leave a Comment— 13 min read — Summary :- I look at the ways in which online platforms might respond to pressures related to toxic political content. I consider variations of rules for discussing politics in pubs. I describe the business logic that may apply to specific platforms.
Leave a Comment— 18 min read — Summary :- I put questions about the regulation of online political ads into a framework of general election regulation. I urge caution in terms of unilateral moves by any party. I suggest how progress can be made but only through broad consultation and deliberation.
Leave a Comment— 9 min read — Summary:- I use the story of Scylla and Charybdis to describe the situation of platforms in respect of US political content. I share views on the political dynamics that are in play with the current US President. I propose more detailed policy ‘course-plotting’ as the best way forward.
Leave a Comment— 14 min read — Summary :- platforms should aim to become ‘good’ regulators. Key to this is separating out rule-making and enforcement functions within companies. There is a lot learning that platforms can take from governments about how to do this well.
1 Comment— 19 min read — Summary :- I describe some of the ways that governments are using regulation to control political speech including misinformation. I frame this as being within a broader context of attitudes to sedition and talk about the exceptional situation in the US.
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