Obama: Disinformation is killing people
Pictured: President Barack Obama on Wednesday April 13, 2021. Photo: Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Democracy is being eroded by an overwhelming information ecosystem buoyed by major tech platforms, former President Barack Obama said Thursday.Obama's comments reflect a shift in his feelings toward technology, in contrast to his embrace of Silicon Valley and social media as a force for good as president.Obama made the remarks at an event about disinformation and democracy at Stanford University, co-hosted by the Obama Foundation.
Obama said it's time for the government to step in: "Just like every industry with an impact on our society...these platforms need to be subject to some oversight."and the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. Companies are trying to do better, but they're still not doing enough, he said: "These companies need to have a North Star other than profits and market share.
"What does still nag at me... was my failure to fully appreciate at the time, just how susceptible we had become to lies and conspiracy theories, despite spending years being a target of disinformation myself," he said.Obama suggested more transparency from platforms, some reform to the Section 230 law that largely keeps tech companies liable from what other people post, and boosting revenues for local news organizations.
He called social media of today "grim," and said the U.S. should be at the forefront of conversations about online content moderation, but: Social media did not create society's problems, he said, but has inflamed and exacerbated them.
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