So for IT service, one of the greatest services is social media. In some cases, it’s also the most destructive. But how do we wrestle with this? It’s the one hour rule for Europe’s social media.
So what is ‘one hour rule’? According to the European Commission, tech companies in Europe have one hour to take down illegal content. This one hour begins the second someone reports such content to the tech company. But what is illegal content? They say it includes: terrorism, child pornography, hate speech, hacking/online scams, and even copyright violations. However, the EU commission doesn’t limit it to those five categories. They gave this time frame because it’s critical to cancel such threats before they spread even further.
As early as fall 2017, British leaders insisted tech companies remove extreme content in a shorter time. Prior to this, it was 36 hours. It’s just a rule. It’s not a law…yet. But at least the EU is somewhat clear on what ‘extremist content’ is. To me, it sounds like they’re targeting radical jihad, like ISIS. Plus, there are some extreme hate groups the EU want to silence. In fact, the UK is paying an AI companies for machine learning to combat ISIS propaganda.
For that part, I applaud them. Because we know by now ISIS and other terrorists groups, and extreme groups, use social media for recruiting. However, there is an elephant in the room. What if someone calls a disagreeable opinion ‘extremism’? This is 2018. So yes, this can and will happen. The question we wrestle with is ‘what do you call extremism’? We must be very careful this doesn’t lead to censorship. Then you have the AI factor. In computer repair, we often ask, “How much will AI control our lives?” How will machine learning tell what is extremism and what isn’t? Are you ready to put your safety, and your online freedom, in the hands of machines and robots?