Congress Should NOT Blame Social Media Algorithms for Harmful Content, Says ITIF
WASHINGTON—Following Congress’ proposal to amend Section 230 to remove liability protections for platforms that use algorithms to spread harmful content, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), the leading think tank for science and technology policy, released the following statement from Daniel Castro, vice president of ITIF:
Everyone wants to get harmful content off social media. But penalizing social media sites for delivering personalized newsfeeds is not the answer.
The alternatives to personalization are much worse: either chronological feeds littered with irrelevant posts or popularity-driven feeds that amplify misinformation and clickbait.
Instead of blaming the algorithm, Congress should work with platforms to develop best practices for identifying and removing harmful content quickly and giving users the skills and tools they need to stay safe online.
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The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan research and educational institute focusing on the intersection of technological innovation and public policy. Recognized by its peers in the think tank community as the global center of excellence for science and technology policy, ITIF’s mission is to formulate and promote policy solutions that accelerate innovation and boost productivity to spur growth, opportunity, and progress.
