The World Wide Web was designed to facilitate the free flow of information and to make knowledge accessible to all. These lofty goals have been under pressure for some time from the use of the Web to spread misinformation/disinformation, target minority groups, and monitor and monetize users’ online lives.
These concerns raise the importance of governance, but governance, where it exists, is dominated by rules set out by social media platforms, by some jurisdictions such as the European Union and the United States, or by complete isolation such as the Great Firewall. The recent US decision to limit Americans’ access to TikTok and WeChat has raised issues related to personal privacy and national security and brought to the forefront how a lack of effective governance can impact millions of users. Until recently, the ongoing “balkanization” of the internet has been largely ignored by those working on “content” (for example, disinformation, online hate) and antitrust issues. Yet, the current trajectory could have a profound impact on planned government intervention in these areas.
Through a panel presentation and guided discussion, this session will look at the implications of the “splinternet” on platform governance issues, with an aim to equipping members to understand how these issues can affect their ongoing work on regulation, legislation and policy development on a range of domestic issues.
Host:
Chris Beall, Policy Lead, Platform Governance, CIGI
