The bill would require social media sites to publish a simple and straightforward policy on how they use information. A [+]
New York Governor Kathy Hutchul, along with state legislators, has announced a comprehensive gun control package. The bill would make New York the first state to ban the sale of body armor, and its main component would make semi-automatic rifle licenses mandatory. 21-year-olds must apply for a license, an increase from current federal law that allows 18-year-olds to purchase long guns.
Hochul said New York already has some of the country’s toughest gun laws and they need to be strengthened. Working closely with all of our legislature partners, including majority leader Stuart-Cousin and Speaker Hasty, we will improve our gun laws to keep New Yorkers safe and provide law enforcement with the tools it needs to stop crime and spread dangerous weapons.
The bill, in addition to restricting gun sales, would require social media platforms to create a policy that outlines how they would respond to hateful behavior on their platforms. This will allow them to make it easier to report hateful acts The New York Attorney General has also proposed the formation of a task force on social media and violent extremism. The task force could investigate and examine the role of social media companies in promoting and supporting violent extremism online as well as domestic terrorist activities.
Buffalo mass shooting response
New York Attorney General Letitia Jacob has expressed concern over the reaction on social media following the massacre at Buffalo’s Grocery.
“The terrorist attack in Buffalo has once again exposed the depth, danger and potential of online forum hate speech,” James told reporters.
The suspect posted a notice on Google. Since then, the killer has live-streamed the deaths of 10 more shooters on Amazon’s Twitch. Although the stream was removed less than two minutes after the violence, the video was reproduced by other streaming websites. The video could even be viewed three million times before it was removed.
“Social media platforms have not done enough to remove the content. But, when the live stream is recorded, the video can be captured and shared elsewhere, “said Jason Molika, a professor at the American University School of Communications in Washington, DC.
Fighting against dangerous content and behavior
Social media platforms are being criticized for spreading misinformation and confusion. It has been a difficult task to deal with. It will not be easy to deal with hateful and extremist behavior.
“We’ve heard and seen what these platforms can do and show that they can try to solve it,” said Malika. We have seen the information come out over time. There is always a solution.
This is also true half way around the world in Ukraine where social media has proven to be an invaluable digital resource for residents of some conflict zones. Like the Arab Spring, social media was an important link of communication that allowed those who were involved ten years ago. Attempts were made to disconnect but information was not available.
New York may face similar problems.
Malika explained that “it would still be difficult for an employee to try to monitor every post.” Malika said, “You can build an office. But where are the funds? The ability to ‘limit extremism’ is available, as well as the possibility of taking down accounts. Although it will close a gap, it will not stop the flow of information. This is the way social media works.
Malika said that while the idea of a New York State plan was admirable and necessary, she did not believe it would succeed. While it would be nice if each state had an equivalent task force and we formed a group to fight against hateful content on social media, it would prove difficult.
