"Days later, on Wednesday, October 16, privacy and constitutional law scholar Danielle Citron, a School of Law professor of law, joined a panel of industry and thought leaders invited to speak before a subcommittee of Congress’ House Committee on Energy and Commerce in Washington. The subject of the hearing was Fostering a Healthier Internet to Protect Consumers, and it was aimed at searching for ways to create a safer internet, where free speech is embraced, but where hate speech, harassment, and illegal activities, such as human trafficking and the selling of drugs, are aggresively sought out, banned, and suppressed.
One committee member called the problem an epidemic and said people are dying as a result of it, and the packed room inside the Rayburn House Office Building reflected the urgency of the subject.
Citron, who last month was awarded a 2019 MacArthur Fellowship for her work countering hate crimes, revenge porn, deepfake videos, and cyber abuse, said Congress cannot rely solely on the largest platforms—Google, Facebook, Reddit, YouTube, and others—to solve the internet’s most worrisome problem, because they rely so heavily on online advertising. “We must have reasonable content moderation practices,” Citron testified. “We’ve got to do something, because doing nothing has costs.”"
- Date Published:10/16/2019
- Original Publication:BU Today