Mark Zuckerberg wants Facebook to be treated differently from media organizations

(Image credit: Facebook)

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg believes that content posted on social networks should be regulated using a system somewhere between the existing rules for telecoms and media industries.

At the Munich Security Conference in Germany, Zuckerberg explained that Facebook has made significant progress in fighting online election interference. He also once again called for regulation of social media companies, saying:

“I do think that there should be regulation on harmful content ... there’s a question about which framework you use for this. Right now there are two frameworks that I think people have for existing industries - there’s like newspapers and existing media, and then there’s the telco-type model, which is ‘the data just flows through you’, but you’re not going to hold a telco responsible if someone says something harmful on a phone line. I actually think where we should be is somewhere in between.”

Fighting misinformation

Since the 2016 election in the US, Facebook, Twitter and Google have come under increased pressure to prevent governments and political groups from using their platforms to spread misinformation.

According to Zuckerberg, Facebook now employs 35,000 people to review online content posted on the social network and to implement stricter security measures.

Along with the company's automated technology, these teams suspend over one million fake accounts every day and most of these accounts are detected within minutes of being created. One reason for this is the fact that Facebook's budget has grown significantly over the last few years as Zuckerberg pointed out in his speech at the conference, saying:

“Our budget is bigger today than the whole revenue of the company when we went public in 2012, when we had a billion users. I’m proud of the results but we will definitely have to stay vigilant.”

  • Also check out our complete list of the best VPN services

Via Reuters

Anthony Spadafora

After working with the TechRadar Pro team for the last several years, Anthony is now the security and networking editor at Tom’s Guide where he covers everything from data breaches and ransomware gangs to the best way to cover your whole home or business with Wi-Fi. When not writing, you can find him tinkering with PCs and game consoles, managing cables and upgrading his smart home. 

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