I dont think this trend can be stopped by encouraging individual digital literacy (though that helps), fundamentally it needs legislation, equivalent to the way basic standards of water and food hygiene were established but I cant see anyone doing that.
The idea of legislation to dictate which views, opinions, theories and beliefs can and can’t be published or shared is frankly terrifying. If nothing else, can you imagine such laws in the hands of someone like Trump or Farage?
Optimistic of you to think the lack of those laws would impede Trump or Farage in any way.
I dont think this trend can be stopped by encouraging individual digital literacy (though that helps), fundamentally it needs legislation, equivalent to the way basic standards of water and food hygiene were established but I cant see anyone doing that.
The idea of legislation to dictate which views, opinions, theories and beliefs can and can’t be published or shared is frankly terrifying. If nothing else, can you imagine such laws in the hands of someone like Trump or Farage?
But the whole point is that Trump and Farage spread misinformation *without* those laws. Both of them believe themselves to be above the law anyway. Why do you think Trump would obey a ban on spreading misinformation?
Do you think legislation to dictate what quality of food can and can't be sold is terrifying? If not, why is unsafe food hygiene a problem but misinformation isn't?
Just like eg the Food Standards Agency, fact-checking would involve many people to assess a statement. The whole point is that it's not in the hands of an individual. It's not like one person does all the food hygiene ratings.
I dont think this trend can be stopped by encouraging individual digital literacy (though that helps), fundamentally it needs legislation, equivalent to the way basic standards of water and food hygiene were established but I cant see anyone doing that.
The idea of legislation to dictate which views, opinions, theories and beliefs can and can’t be published or shared is frankly terrifying. If nothing else, can you imagine such laws in the hands of someone like Trump or Farage?
But the whole point is that Trump and Farage spread misinformation *without* those laws. Both of them believe themselves to be above the law anyway. Why do you think Trump would obey a ban on spreading misinformation?
I took @Marvin the Martian to be talking about what would happen if Trump or Farange were the ones making, or calling on the legislative body to make, such laws, labeling speech they don’t like “misinformation” and prohibiting that speech. It’s hardly a stretch, for example, to imagine Trump wanting to label information about climate change and global warming “a hoax” and “misinformation.”
I dont think this trend can be stopped by encouraging individual digital literacy (though that helps), fundamentally it needs legislation, equivalent to the way basic standards of water and food hygiene were established but I cant see anyone doing that.
The idea of legislation to dictate which views, opinions, theories and beliefs can and can’t be published or shared is frankly terrifying. If nothing else, can you imagine such laws in the hands of someone like Trump or Farage?
But the whole point is that Trump and Farage spread misinformation *without* those laws. Both of them believe themselves to be above the law anyway. Why do you think Trump would obey a ban on spreading misinformation?
I took @Marvin the Martian to be talking about what would happen if Trump or Farange were the ones making, or calling on the legislative body to make, such laws, labeling speech they don’t like “misinformation” and prohibiting that speech. It’s hardly a stretch, for example, to imagine Trump wanting to label information about climate change and global warming “a hoax” and “misinformation.”
It’s hardly a stretch, for example, to imagine Trump wanting to label information about climate change and global warming “a hoax” and “misinformation.”
And before somebody says "Well, he's already doing that anyway", we're not just talking about, say, Trump ordering info about climate-change removed from government websites. Rather, a law such as has been proposed on this thread would regulate the speech of entirely private actors, eg. a newspaper could get prosecuted for saying climate change was real.
I'm always very leery of proposals to regulate speech. "Misinformation" is hard to define. I think about all the things we've been told are good or bad for us, and how many times that advice has changed. Is everyone who said a daily glass of red wine was healthy in trouble now that we're being told no amount of alcohol is healthy?
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Optimistic of you to think the lack of those laws would impede Trump or Farage in any way.
But the whole point is that Trump and Farage spread misinformation *without* those laws. Both of them believe themselves to be above the law anyway. Why do you think Trump would obey a ban on spreading misinformation?
Do you think legislation to dictate what quality of food can and can't be sold is terrifying? If not, why is unsafe food hygiene a problem but misinformation isn't?
Just like eg the Food Standards Agency, fact-checking would involve many people to assess a statement. The whole point is that it's not in the hands of an individual. It's not like one person does all the food hygiene ratings.
I’m with MtM on this one.
That was how I read @Marvin the Martian as well.
And before somebody says "Well, he's already doing that anyway", we're not just talking about, say, Trump ordering info about climate-change removed from government websites. Rather, a law such as has been proposed on this thread would regulate the speech of entirely private actors, eg. a newspaper could get prosecuted for saying climate change was real.