Weeding out fake news

Social media is becoming a dominant source of information. Despite numerous positive influences on our democracies, social media can have a negative impact on public debate, including by allowing hostile powers to influence democratic elections. Social media also tends to create ‘bubbles’, groups of users who routinely consume the same content.

Are the current regulatory frameworks for social media sufficient? Should social media platforms be responsible for content that users publish? Is self-regulation sufficient? What if national governments started countering fake news by using the existing press laws, adapted to new technologies? A new Martens Centre paper, Weeding out Fake News: An Approach to Social Media Regulation by Konrad Niklewicz will serve as the basis for discussion.