A withering verdict: MPs report on Zuckerberg, Russia and Cambridge Analytica

["DAVID FARBER" <dfarber () me com>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Brian Randell <brian.randell () newcastle ac uk>
> Date: July 29, 2018 at 17:55:25 GMT+9
> To: Dave Farber <dfarber () me com>
> Cc: Brian Randell <brian.randell () newcastle ac uk>
> Subject: A withering verdict: MPs report on Zuckerberg, Russia and Cambridge Analytica
>
> Hi Dave:
>
> From today’s Observer newspaper, the Sunday partner to the Guardian, for IP if you wish.
>
> Cheers
>
> Brian
>
>
> > A withering verdict: MPs report on Zuckerberg, Russia and Cambridge Analytica
>
> > A report by the digital, culture, media and sport select committee demands more internet regulation
> >
> > Facebook
> > The report offers a wide-ranging, informed and sustained critique that carries with it the full weight of 
> > parliament. The verdict is withering: Facebook failed. It “obfuscated”, refused to investigate how its platform was 
> > abused by the Russian government until forced by pressure from Senate committees and, in the most damning section, 
> > it aided and abetted the incitement of racial hatred in Burma, noting that even the company’s chief technical 
> > officer, Mike Schroepfer, called this “awful”.
> >
> > Recommendations include:
> >
> > • “Clear legal liability” for tech companies “to act against harmful and illegal content” with failure to act 
> > resulting in criminal proceedings.
> >
> > • Full auditing and crutiny of tech companies, including their security mechanisms, and full algorithm auditing. 
> > Strengthen the Information Commissioner’s Office (IO). Impose a levy on tech companies operating in the UK to pay 
> > for it. The Competition and Markets Authority should investigate fake profiles and advertising fraud.
> >
> > • A ban on micro-targeted political advertising to similar audiences.
> >
> > • A “new category of tech company” to be formulated which “tightens tech companies’ liabilities and which is not 
> > necessarily either a ‘platform’ or ‘publisher’”.
> >
> > • Sweeping new powers for the Electoral Commission and a comprehensive overhaul of existing legislation that governs 
> > political advertisements during elections.
> >
> > • A further demand for Mark Zuckerberg “to come to the committee to answer questions to which Facebook has not 
> > responded adequately to date”.
> >
> > • A code of ethics that all tech companies will agree to uphold.
> <snip>
>
> Full story: 
> https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jul/28/dcms-report-fake-news-disinformation-brexit-facebook-russia
>
> The Committee’s full report is at https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmcumeds/363/36302.htm 
>
> Cheers
>
> Brian
>
>
> —
>
> School of Computing Science, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU
> EMAIL = Brian.Randell () ncl ac uk   PHONE = +44 191 208 7923
> URL = http://www.ncl.ac.uk/computing/people/profile/brianrandell.html



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