Former head of trust & safety at Twitter, Yoel Roth, discusses adult content rules, EU regulations, and misinformation impacts on Twitter. Topics include Facebook's content challenges, Israel's influence campaigns, Twitch's safety council termination, and balancing user input on platform safety.
Deplatforming reduced misinformation reach on Twitter after January 6th.
Israel's alleged influence campaign on US lawmakers emphasized questionable impact.
Exposure to online misinformation may not significantly alter viewpoints, sparking debate on its impact.
Deep dives
Twitter's Approach to QAnon Deplatforming
Twitter implemented policies to combat coordinated harmful activity like QAnon conspiracies. The enforcement of these policies led to the suspension of thousands of accounts. Although some questioned the impact of deplatforming, a Nature study highlighted that it reduced certain misinformation types and deterred some individuals from posting similar content.
Influence Campaigns Targeting US Lawmakers
The New York Times reported on Israel's alleged secret influence campaigns targeting US lawmakers for pro-Israel messaging. While such efforts are widespread, their effectiveness in changing viewpoints or influencing decisions has been questioned. The amateurish methods used raise doubts about their impact.
Disinformation and Misinformation Dynamics
The study in Nature on how disinformation spreads highlighted that exposure to such content may not significantly alter viewpoints. The hyperbolic view of misinformation's influence compared to reality has sparked debate. Understanding the limited impact of disinformation can help in crafting effective responses.
Shift in Twitch's Advisory Council
Twitch dissolved its Safety Advisory Council and plans to involve Twitch ambassadors, mainly prominent streamers, in governance decisions. While including community perspectives is valuable, expertise on complex safety issues provided by advisory councils is essential. Balancing these perspectives can enhance platform governance.
Balancing Community and Expertise in Platform Governance
In platform governance, a balance between community insights and experts' nuanced understanding is crucial. User perspectives offer operational insights, but expertise in safety interventions is vital. Platforms like Twitch should strive for an inclusive governance approach that combines both community and expert knowledge.
In this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike is joined by guest host Yoel Roth, former head of trust & safety at Twitter and now head of trust & safety at Match Group. Together they cover: