The social media platforms in their current state have a significant influence on public discourse by facilitating the discussion of critical issues in the present-day world. Their role in the process can be clearly seen in the activities related to human rights and the rule of law conducted by users (Bayer, 2019). By serving as resources for citizens’ participation in the life of society, they ensure the access of all people to them and their involvement in the policy-making. However, the increase in their power evokes concerns among political activists who claim that these websites pose a serious threat to the stability of the corresponding organizations (Bayer, 2019). From this perspective, it is reasonable to suggest that the involvement of online media in this field in terms of the scope of provided information should be restricted by the introduction of new rules.
The described situation is a relatively new phenomenon, which is already included in the studies of legal scholars. They claim that the necessity to monitor the content stems from the use of third-party data, which are directly connected to the corresponding laws not applicable to this problem (Bayer, 2019). From this perspective, the continuation of their operations under the conditions of free exchange of distorted facts for the benefit of one another stance is unacceptable. The methods proposed for changing the principles of their work include the e-Commerce Directive’ amendments, structuring of reports, the introduction of their selection algorithms, and governance of technological advances (Bayer, 2019). Thus, online platforms should be subject to regulatory controls similar to traditional broadcast media because they deal with large amounts of sensitive information received from reliable sources but used improperly.
Reference
Bayer, J. (2019). Between anarchy and censorship: Public discourse and the duties of social media.CEPS Paper in Liberty and Security in Europe No. 2019-03. Web.