ISLAMABAD: Social media companies should be held accountable for failing to effectively take down content related to online hate speech. This was stated by Media Matters for Democracy Executive Director Asad Baig while talking to Voice of America, VOA.
Expressing apprehensions at the way corporates including Facebook and Twitter were handling content moderation, Mr. Asad emphasized that they should be more transparent about their procedures and processes on content moderation. “I feel that corporates have started acting like they are above the law,” he noted.
Mr. Baig said that the way videos of New Zealand attack went viral on platforms like Twitter and Facebook, it was clear that these platforms had failed to effectively moderate the hate speech on their platforms.
In response to a question, he also expressed apprehension at the deployment of artificial intelligence by corporates and demanded more transparency in this regard. He said that whatever decisions were taken by the corporates, it had wider implications for users across the world.
Social media companies have come under a lot of pressure for their content moderation practices particularly around content related to hate-speech and fake news. Recently, Facebook announced its plans to set up an independent content oversight board to review Facebook’s content decisions.
To listen to the full interview, watch the video below.
