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Global Questions: Global Questions: Social media: More powerful than government?

Discussion & Talk

Social Media -  More Powerful Than Government?

30/01/2021 GMT

Social media: More powerful than government?

BBC World Service - Global Questions, Global Questions, Social media: More powerful than government?

After social media suspended accounts, some have questioned the power of Silicon Valley

After social media suspended accounts, some have questioned the power of Silicon Valley.

After social media suspended Donald Trump, some have questioned the power of the Silicon Valley giants: Alexei Navalny and Angela Merkel, among others, have wondered whether it was a step too far.  The big five of Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Google and Twitter may have had humble origins but they're now among the biggest companies in the world, wielding enormous global influence. Has big tech gone too far, with this kind of censorship removing more content and threatening freedom of speech, or is it long overdue? And in the age of these new media monoliths, do we want them to be mere platforms or must they accept that they're publishers, responsible for content and democratically accountable?

Global Questions: Global Questions

As coronavirus spread around the world so did a wave of misinformation about it. From untested home remedies to misleading videos adding confusion and concern about what can and can’t be trusted. Platforms such as Facebook and Google have, for the first time, taken a tougher stance on what is shared online. But is it up to them and are they doing enough?  Political rumours,  progaganda and conspiracy theories are nothing new particularly on social media – but how far does the disordering of information go in misleading the public and undermining democracy and governments?
Panel:-
Jan Neutze Director of Cybersecurity Policy at Microsoft responsible for Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). 
Martha Lane Fox Co-founded Last Minute.com, Peer and expert on public service digital projects.
Presented by Zeinab Badawi.

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