World piece didn’t work even in the Web, just because the Web is not a standalone entity, but a virtual projection of the world itself, with its hostility of everyone against everyone, meanness, greed, and aggression. That is why the relationship between governments and online platforms will be ever more tense going forward.
But the French are right, after all.
The reason and logics behind the claims of all governments for all platforms is that the latter either do not pre-moderate the content published there or do it poorly.
Moderation means preemptive (not following a claim) removal of any content, which contravenes law. This content can range from drugs and pornography to calls for forcible overthrow of power. This is from where all these French authorities’ nonsense personal claims against Pavel Durov come from.
Facebook, YouTube and other platforms do the moderation, yet quite selectively and only in the interests of the U.S. government. They remove everything which is against the government (e.g., Tucker Carlson), while not just simply leaving any anti-Russian content, but also actively promoting it.
Well, the mechanics of how the relationships between governments and platforms work is that it is not the government, which should require to remove the published content, but the platform itself in accordance with a very long list (each platform has one of its own) should not allow the publication of everything unallowed.
This was exactly the purpose of Russia’s claims against Telegram back in 2020. Yet, Russia did not take radical measures at the time, but France did (unlikely on its own, Americans did a good job, especially in the context of their very tough election). Like Snowden rightly put it, they simply took Durov hostage to reach this very aim.
Well, if we lived on a normal planet, these rules and restrictions should have been discussed long ago, aligned and implemented by all states, for example, using the UN platform. Because the need to control platforms is not a whim, but a justified necessity: already now, they are the key information source for most of the people on the planet, with the volume of content, especially video, they generate and distribute doubling every year. In just a day, platforms host the volume of data exceeding that created by the humanity for the entire time of its existence before the appearance of the Internet.
But, with the planet spinning out of control, every major player wants to use platforms to their advantage. It is good if they manage to reach an agreement, if not, then come the cases of banning Facebook and slowing down YouTube in Russia, TikTok ban in U.S., Durov’s detention in France, etc.
And this will get worse going forward. You know why? Because of AI.
If it is difficult for computers to process the volume of content generated today, and with a full adoption of AI we will be flooded with information most of which will be false, malicious, illegal, etc. Simply put, the pace of brainwashing us will increase ten-, hundred-, thousand-fold. Only platforms themselves will be able to address this information flood and only through technologies integrated in their own logics.
This means slowdowns, blockages, bans, arrests will be more frequent taking place in all countries around the world where platforms will be ignoring local regulations.
Now, what about the freedom of speech you might ask? All this has nothing to do with the freedom of speech. As a matter of fact, no freedom of speech has ever existed in the history of humanity. It is just that countries played ‘the freedom of speech’ games when information flows could be managed. Today, when it is no longer possible, the games are over.
And this is the case where it is not difficult to predict what comes next.
First, platforms will be fragmented. There will be no more global Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and even Telegram. There will be country/regional/bloc platforms such as VK and Rutube or the same, yet fragmented Facebooks/YouTubes: not a single global platform, but many small ones working in one country or a group of friendly countries and respecting their requirements.
Second, most countries have introduced licensing of any types of information business on any platforms. Like today the media cannot work without a registration certificate, not a Telegram channel or a YouTube/Rutube channel or a Facebook/VK profile, if it is involved in any kind of information or regular business (e.g., educational) will be able to work, not like you simply telling the world how your dog is feeling today.
Overall, world piece didn’t work even in the Web, just because the Web is not a standalone entity, but a virtual projection of the world itself, with its hostility of everyone against everyone, meanness, greed, and aggression.
And your cats, memes and apples right now (a trend of the season) are just a side dish; preparing the main course are the big men not caring not just about you, but also the entire humanity.