Telegram’s Apology, GenAI Election Analysis, and New ISOC President

Hello and welcome to Everything in Moderation’s Weekly overviewyour in-depth guide to the policies, products, platforms and people shaping the future of online speech and the internet. It is written by me, Ben Whitelaw, and supported by members like you.

This week was a victory for sovereign states over platform CEOs. At least that’s what the politicians would have you believe after significant developments in last week’s stories out of Brazil and South Korea. But without insight into the effect on users, we can’t say for sure whether that’s a good thing or not.

New subscribers to EFF, Open Forum Europe, Trust and Safety Forum, Bodyguard.ai, Cadence, Canva, TikTok, PartnerHero and others, thank you for joining us. In case you missed it, Alice wrote about what she learned from writing T&S Insider — Weekly Overview sister newsletter — for six months. I am glad she will continue to write for EiM.

These are the biggest stories in online speech and internet regulation this week — BW

Policy

New and Emerging Internet Policy and Regulation of Online Speech

I wrote about it last week South Korea to step up the fight against “digital sexual crimes” and Telegram in particular (EiM #261). The story took a turn for the worse on Tuesday after the messaging platform removed 25 pieces requested by the media regulator and apologized for its lack of responsiveness. According to local sources, the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) also confirmed that Telegram had issued a formal apology and set up a hotline “to resolve the spread of deepfake sexual exploitation materials and ultimately eradicate digital sexual crime content.” Quite a turnaround.

Wide angle: The recent French case (also EiM #261) — in which CEO Pavel Durov was handed six preliminary charges for alleged criminality related to the app — may have inspired this about-face, but it also bears a strong resemblance to the standoff in South Korea, particularly when it comes to Telegram’s lack of responsiveness. Could it point to where the European saga ends? Perhaps.

A policy decision that matters now: the independent, but meta-financed Supervisory Board ruled on Wednesday that posts containing the standalone pro-Palestinian phrase “from the river to the sea” do not violate the platform’s violence and incitement rules, hate speech rules, and Dangerous Organizations and Individuals (DOI) policy. While not a unanimous decision, the council noted that it “has multiple meanings and is used by people in different ways and with different intentions.”

A new week, a new piece California State Laws in the news. This week, X/Twitter successfully challenged the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act (AB 2273) on the grounds that it “forces companies like X Corp. to talk against their will” in violation of the First Amendment. The Edge has the story.

And in case you — like me — were confused by the appearance of another Bonta case, this one is different from Netchoice v. Bonta, which — as Mike and Daphne discussed on Ctrl-Alt-Speech —concerned provisions intended to protect children’s privacy and was granted an interim injunction. Stay tuned for the back.

Also in this section…

Products

Features, functionality and technology define online speech

How much did AI influence this year’s election? Not much, according to three AI and political science researchers writing in MIT Technology Review. The reason? People “ignored decades of research on the limited impact of mass persuasion campaigns, the complex determinants of voting behavior, and the indirect and human-mediated causal role of technology.”

You might also like: In his Unmoderated insights In his newsletter, Matt Motyl comes to the same conclusion in a different way, arguing that the problem with genAI tools is that they don’t “individually cause new harm,” but “cause a massive increase in the amount of harmful content being produced.”

Also in this section…

Platforms

Social networks and the application of content guidelines

That’s it. Gone. No more. Since last Saturday, X/Twitter was no longer accessible in Brazil in the wake of Elon Musk’s refusal to comply with a national court ruling (EiM #260). On Monday, five judges on Brazil’s Supreme Court upheld the ban, which also includes a provision that could fine Brazilians 50,000 reais per day (about $8,900) for using a VPN to circumvent a ban.

Knock-on effects: Starlink — Elon Musk’s satellite-based internet provider — also accepted the order, which may have had something to do with the fact that its assets were frozen by Judge Alexandre de Moraes. Naturally, X/Twitter created an account called the alexandre files “because there is no transparency from the court and the people who are censored have no way to appeal.”

Wikipedia is rarely mentioned in EiM when it comes to the Digital Services Act, despite being a Very Large Online Platform with all the associated compliance. But as the only non-profit in that group, it’s not easy. That’s the gist of this piece from Associate General Counsel Jacob Rogers explains, noting that the DSA “probably represents a larger portion of the Wikimedia Foundation’s resources than any other VLOP.”

Also in this section…

People

Those influencing the future of online safety and moderation

Known for its advocacy against internet fragmentation and state censorship, the Internet Society is one of many nonprofits playing a critical role in defending online freedom. And now it has new leadership.

Sally Wentworth Wentworth has taken over from Andrew Sullivan, who has been at the helm since 2018. Wentworth was previously Managing Director and joined the organization 15 years ago as VP of Global Policy Development.

In an introductory blog post , Wentworth emphasized the ongoing challenge of connecting the 2.6 billion people still offline and pledged to continue ISOC’s work to protect the web from mounting geopolitical pressures. Her leadership certainly marks a pivotal moment for the organization and, with the Internet Governance Forum taking place in Saudi Arabia in December, the internet at large.

Messages of interest

Hand-picked posts that caught my attention this week

• “I look forward to connecting with many of you as we work together to strengthen the transparency of elections, protect political expression and ensure that online platforms continue to foster safe and informed public debate, both in Europe and globally.” – Francesca Scapoloonce a member of the Oversight Board, about her new job at TikTok.
• “It is truly a great and unique resource for companies and individuals looking to understand more about the impact of AI regulation around the world, and practical and operational guidance for a successful response.” – Deloitte’s Nick Seeber shares a new resource that may be of interest to EiM readers.
• “Do you know a student who is interested in healthy online spaces and translating research into practice – and who ideally has experience in research design, platform interventions and causal inference?” – a great opportunity for a recent graduate to learn from Julia Kamin and the Prosocial Design Network team.