Governments need to regulate Internet more: Facebook's Zuckerberg
WASHINGTON: Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg called for governments to play a "more active role" in regulating the Internet.
Facebook and other Internet giants have long resisted government intervention, but the social network has reversed course amid growing calls for regulation, in an apparent bid to help steer the debate.
"I believe we need a more active role for governments and regulators," Mr Zuckerberg wrote in an op-ed in The Washington Post. "By updating the rules for the Internet, we can preserve what's best about it - the freedom for people to express themselves and for entrepreneurs to build new things - while also protecting society from broader harms."
Mr Zuckerberg argues that new regulations are needed in four areas: harmful content, protection of elections, privacy and data portability.
Facebook has drawn fire over all four, from the recent livestreaming of attacks on mosques in New Zealand to its use in foreign efforts to meddle in elections.
Mr Zuckerberg said he would support more countries adopting rules in line with the European Union's sweeping General Data Protection Regulation, which gives regulators sweeping powers to sanction organisations that fail to adhere to heightened standards of security when processing personal data.
He also agreed with lawmakers who have argued that "we have too much power over speech", saying"third-party bodies" could set standards on distribution of harmful material and "measure companies against those standards". - AFP
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