It’s a win, regardless, but the response is important.
The response should be:
Make dark patterns illegal (highlighting options that prefer the platform over the user, making it harder to cancel, "opt inx not “opt out” to all non-core features, etc.)
Require a clear “click through” step in account creation that underage use has been proven to be harmful, leading to anxiety and death (and then let parents make their own, informed, choices)
Clear legal limits on data storage and retention to only include data necessary for the platform functions (i.e. mouse tracking and other invasive analytics are illegal)
User options to delete all data, or all data older than a given rolling date window (i.e. only retain 1-year of data, up to and including deleting old posts/content)
Clear legal limits on data analytics
Open audits of algorithmic feeds to ensure they are reasonable and not encouraging “engagement” with harmful/controversial content at elevated levels
No sharing of any user details with any external “partners” (advertisers), beyond very broad categories (age, location data at the 1M+ population region, gender)
Data portability
Require platform interoperability (i.e. alternative front ends through API or website loading through an intermediary client app)
Like, there’s nothing wrong with social media as a concept, it’s that profit seeking + network effects + regulatory capture have incentivized harmful social media.
The fact that e2ee bans and age verification are listed as remedies mean this isn’t the win people are saying it is
It’s a win, regardless, but the response is important.
The response should be:
Like, there’s nothing wrong with social media as a concept, it’s that profit seeking + network effects + regulatory capture have incentivized harmful social media.