I have had an op-ed published on LBC Views yesterday. I discussed how social media platforms will face penalties for not doing more to combat online misinformation and hate speech that contributed to the UK riots. I also argued that politicians and public figures who have created a toxic discourse around immigration need to take some of the blame for the civil unrest too.
Thanks to Katy Rankin for the invitation. The post can be read here
On Saturday I appeared on BBC Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme to discuss freedom of expression online. Suzanne Whitten (Queen’s University Belfast) and I discussed a variety of topics including Twitter/X owner Elon Musk’s claims to be a ‘free speech absolutist’, what type of platform regulation might emerge after the UK riots, and the contested definition of ‘free speech’.
Many thanks to Brian and the GMS team for the invitation. The segment can be listened to here.
Yesterday I had an op-ed published in The Scotsman. In ‘Social media tycoon won’t act to ditch harmful content, I review the various ways online platforms could be better regulated in order to avoid a repeat of the misinformation linked to the recent violence in the UK. These include calls for temporary shutdowns, stronger financial penalties, and even the suspension of operating licences. I also discuss the ways citizens can counteract hate speech and msinformation that contributes to civil unrest.
Many thanks to Charlotte Morris for helping arrange this. It can be read in full here.
Delighted to have written an article for VIEWdigital on the responsibility of social media for amplifying hateful content during the UK riots. I argue that there are some steps that users can take to mitigate its impact if platforms are unwilling to take stronger action on hate speech and misinformation.
Many thanks to Brian Pelan and Una Murphy for the invitation. The article can be read here
On Saturday (10 August) I was
On Saturday I spoke to Andrew Peach on LBC News about the number of arrests linked to the use of social media to incite violence during the UK riots. We discussed issues like Twitter owner Elon Musk’s amplification of conspiracy theories and what platforms can do to remove harmful content.
The interview can be listened to here
Thanks to Andrew, Elliot, and David for the invitation.
On Wednesday I spoke to Hamish Morrison from The National about the list of far-right protests in Scotland circulated on social media. We discussed how far-right groups used apps like Telegram to organise, the threat of misinformation during the recent riots in England, and how best to respond to false information circulating online.
Thanks to Hamish and Charlotte Morris for the invitation. The article can be read here.
Last night I appeared on BBC Scotland’s The Nine to discuss the role of social media in the ongoing UK riots. I discussed the difficulty of removing hate speech and misinformation from platforms that are not considered publishers.
Many thanks to Charlotte Morris, Ben Russell and the team on The Nine for arranging the interview.
The interview can be viewed here (it begins at 24:30).
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