Obama points finger at tech companies for disinformation in major speech

[mystery-ak]

 Obama points finger at tech companies for disinformation in major speech
by Rebecca Klar - 04/21/22 5:33 PM ET

Former President Obama placed blame on tech companies for failing to address the disinformation problem he said the industry has amplified during a speech Thursday at Stanford University.

The new information ecosystem, fueled by the rise of dominant social media platforms, is “turbocharging some of humanity’s worst impulses,” he said in the roughly hourlong speech.

“But not all problems we’re seeing now are an inevitable byproduct of this new technology. They’re also the result of very specific choices, made by the companies that have come to dominate the internet generally, and social media platforms in particular. Decisions that intentionally or not have made democracies more vulnerable,” he said.

Certain features, such as the “veil of anonymity” online, have compounded the problem, he said.

Obama highlighted the real-world impacts of the spread of disinformation, discussing the spread of false information about the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines, 2020 election conspiracies that fueled the violent riot at the Capitol last year and Russian disinformation campaigns leading up to the invasion of Ukraine.

“People like [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, and Steve Bannon for that matter, understand it’s not necessary for people to believe this information in order to weaken democratic institutions. You just have to flood a country’s public square with enough raw sewage. You just have to raise enough questions, spread enough dirt, plant enough conspiracy theorizing, that citizens no longer know what to believe,” Obama said. Bannon is a former strategist for former President Trump.

more
https://thehill.com/policy/technology/3382803-obama-points-finger-at-tech-companies-for-disinformation-in-major-speech/

[mystery-ak]

Barack Obama Calls for More Censorship: First Amendment ‘Does Not Apply to Facebook and Twitter’

Charlie Spiering 21 Apr 2022

Former President Barack Obama in a major speech on Thursday called for more regulation of social media content, in order to diminish “disinformation.”

The former president delivered a speech on the issue at Stanford University after spending months studying the subject.

He described himself as “pretty close to a First Amendment absolutist” but immediately clarified that it did not apply to social media companies.

“The First Amendment is a check on the power of the state. It doesn’t apply to private companies like Facebook and Twitter,” he said, calling for more “value judgements” on content moderation and censorship on social media.

“While content moderation can limit the distribution of clearly dangerous content, it doesn’t go far enough,” Obama added.

more
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/04/21/barack-obama-calls-more-censorship-first-amendment-does-not-apply-facebook-twitter/

[240B]

The Leftist definition of 'hate speech' is anything that they do not like or agree with.

[rustynail]

"Will no one rid me of this turbulent pest?"

[240B]

"Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?" is a quote attributed to Henry II of England preceding the death of Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1170. While the quote was not expressed as an order, it prompted four knights to travel from Normandy to Canterbury, where they killed Becket. The phrase is commonly used in modern-day contexts to express that a ruler's wish may be interpreted as a command by his or her subordinates.

[GtHawk]

Oh yeah Barry Butt Boy is a free speech absolutist, that is free speech for he but all us serfs need to repeat his adoration or STFU! The all mighty government will brook no dissent from the proletariat. Can't we send this ass into space, one way please. And remember Barry whenever you point the finger you have three more pointing back at you.