#KYBC: Oxford has Spoken

Netopia has reported on how bad guys abuse domain names for Covid-scams. Not saying Oxford university reads Netopia, but it has come to very similar conclusions as the report we quoted. Here is a fresh press release from Oxford Internet Institute:

OII | Tech companies continue to provide online infrastructure for contentious Covid-19 websites even after flagging them as fake news, finds new Oxford study — Oxford Internet Institute

Listen to what professor Philip N Howard has to say.

“Google and Facebook may flag content for being problematic on their social media networks but are still providing fundamental infrastructure for that content and supporting the revenue streams that make the purveyors of such content financially viable.”

The problem is built into the business model of the internet platforms with no incentive for real change. Flagging fake news looks like the proverbial lipstick on a pig. We don’t regulate them, they regulate us.

How do we make real change? Can’t promise the full answer, but some ideas at the KYBC-seminar hosted by MEP Alex Agius Saliba in European Parliament next week. This writer will be the humble moderator. Don’t miss.