Social media platforms have taken a number of steps to increase user safety over the past few years, but there are fears that the potential Twitter takeover by Elon Musk, who describes himself as a free speech absolutist, risks provoking a rise in online attacks caused by a return to light-touch moderation.
Elon Musk, who has over 100 million followers on Twitter, is seeking to buy the social media giant for $44 billion and as a fierce critic of the platform, has propounded a series of ideas to improve the site. His comment that in most cases permanent bans from the social media site are not effective has alerted Twitter employees that Musk could lead to a rollback in site moderation.
Staying safe and private on social media
Harassment and trolling have become a serious issue for social media platforms with reporting policies viewed as too lenient against repeat offenders, making the sites unhealthy places for users.
Rather than rely on social media companies to resolve privacy and safety issues, there are a number of actions users can take in order to stay safe and private on social media platforms. Much of the best advice involves taking steps that are not immediately obvious to casual users of the platforms, but the tips will go a long way to making your experiences safer and more private. One lesser known advice is, for example, to remove metadata and geolocation data from any photos you post on social media.
Free speech versus content moderation
The issue revolves around the argument of free speech versus content moderation. Free speech advocates believe that only illegal speech and content should be moderated, while champions of effective content moderation want platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to be a healthy environment where users are protected and trolls and cyberbullies face consequences for their actions in the form of bans or account suspensions.
The Musk takeover has also raised fears that Donald Trump could return to Twitter. Indeed, the ex-President of the United States is pursuing an appeal after his lawsuit against the social media platform was dismissed. Trump claims that his permanent ban violates his right to free speech. Trump has gone on to launch his own platform entitled Truth Social, which claims to be a platform allowing free expression.
Privacy concerns
Social media platforms have also been dogged by privacy issues. Facebook, in particular, has faced a range of privacy scandals over the years, including location privacy issues, data leaks, and face tagging.
Frances Haugen, the data engineer, and scientist who was the whistleblower behind the Facebook Files revealed there was a conflict of interest at the company between “what was good for the public and what was good for Facebook. And Facebook, over and over again, chose to optimize for its own interests, like making more money.”
The metaverse has also been criticized for the levels of harassment and concerns about safety in the virtual world. The criticism leveled at Meta includes the high levels of personal data gathered by the company and how this data is used to target ads at users.
While the social media giants have taken steps to improve online safety and privacy for users on their platforms, there is still plenty of scope for further steps that need to be taken to reduce the effect of trolls, cyberbullies, and those who spread hate. Privacy issues and concerns about the use of personal data remain high on the list of criticisms of social media sites. These issues demonstrate the importance of users taking action to stay safe and protect their privacy on social media sites.