In an opinion piece published on March 30, Mark Zuckerberg, head of the social network Facebook, outlined four ideas for regulating the internet.
In response to numerous controversies that have hit the web giant hard and growing public concern about data protection, Mark Zuckerberg called on governments around the world to play an active role in regulating the web. The CEO emphasized the need to implement new regulations to ensure the safety of the user community in four specific areas:
- Data and privacy protection
- Violent and hateful content
- Election integrity
- Data portability
According to Mark Zuckerberg, the private sector cannot address these issues alone. Companies must be supported by governments and their involvement in the implementation of new regulations inspired by the European model.
At the same time, in Africa, Facebook wants to take responsibility for content with regard to the hundreds of millions of users on the continent. Encouraging freedom of expression while strengthening the security of the user community is the goal that the web giant has set for itself. To achieve this, Facebook has announced the upcoming creation of a content oversight board, an independent and global body.
But how should regulation be implemented? Based on what criteria? To find the answers, Facebook has launched a consultation workshop in Nairobi, bringing together experts from across the continent and around the world to begin a joint reflection on the decisions to be made in terms of regulation. In the future, the expert members of the board will meet and exchange views with Facebook in order to guide its decisions on content and moderation policies on the continent. The board will not only have an advisory role but also decision-making power over the measures taken by Facebook in this area.