Social media is a double-edged sword, offering unprecedented human connection, while simultaneously boosting misinformation and hate speech to unprecedented visibility.
In a recent Berkeley News feature, CITRIS Policy Lab Director Brandie Nonnecke argued that social media companies should be held accountable for harm caused by their platforms and discussed several legal avenues to do so. She spoke on Section 230, which allows companies to moderate user-generated content, as well as laws preventing negligent product design, which can be invoked for technology that encourages dangerous behavior.
Nonnecke is also on the leadership team of the UC Berkeley Our Better Web project, an interdisciplinary initiative that works to combat harmful content and guide public policy towards safer online platforms.