Social Media Has Some Real Risks That Need To Be Managed At An Individual Level.

 This appeared last week:

Protecting freedom of thought in the digital age

31 May 2021

Susie Alegre

Publisher Centre for International Governance Innovation

Consumer protection Data protection Digital disruption Digital identity Sector regulation Human rights

Resources

Protecting freedom of thought in the digital age                 143.97 KB

Description

As digital technology plays an ever-increasing role in our lives, the need for regulations to protect our rights to freedom of thought and opinion is becoming more apparent, especially with regard to social media platforms’ relentless mission to get inside people’s heads using their personal data. International human rights law protects our right to freedom of thought, which includes the right to keep our thoughts and opinions private, the right not to have our thoughts and opinions manipulated, and the right not to be penalised for our thoughts and opinions. This policy brief explores strategies to protect these rights in digital spaces.

Key points:

• International human rights law prohibits states from violating our rights and puts a positive obligation on them to protect our absolute right to freedom of thought from the activities of businesses by creating adequate legal and regulatory frameworks.
• Protecting freedom of thought requires innovation from technologists and law makers to think very carefully about the future we want and to create the incentives we need to protect freedom of thought and drive technological innovation in a new direction for the future.

Publication Details

Copyright: Centre for International Governance Innovation 2021

License type:  CC BY-NC-ND

Access Rights Type:  open

Issue:  CIGI Policy Brief No. 165

Post date:  2 Jun 2021

Here is the link:

https://apo.org.au/node/312581

I don’t usually stray any distance from Digital Health but it seemed to me this publication raises some important issues regarding how we preserve our individual autonomy in the face of what Social Media seems to be doing with the level of intrusion and manipulation, for whatever reason, that surrounds us.

Somehow we all need, as individuals, to be aware of what SM is up to and try to stay alert but not alarmed and try to become our better selves. I am not sure social media has much to offer by way of personal development and insight!

I won’t even raise the torrent of distorted and misinformation that similarly tries to distort our perceptions and access to worthwhile information and knowledge. The health implications of this torrent of rubbish are legion and important.

What do you think?

David.