­
Safer Internet Day: Can social media companies be trusted? — ICT & Computing in Education
  • Front Page
  • Search
    • Digital Education
    • Terry Freedman's Books Bulletin
  • RSS
    • Welcome
    • The "About" Page
    • Testimonials
    • CV/Resumé
    • My Writing
    • Published articles
  • Corrections Policy
Menu

ICT & Computing in Education

Articles on education technology and related topics
  • Front Page
  • Search
  • Newsletters
    • Digital Education
    • Terry Freedman's Books Bulletin
  • RSS
  • Info
    • Welcome
    • The "About" Page
    • Testimonials
    • CV/Resumé
    • My Writing
    • Published articles
  • Corrections Policy
With apologies to Edvard Munch

With apologies to Edvard Munch

Safer Internet Day: Can social media companies be trusted?

February 6, 2018

As it's Safer Internet Day, perhaps it's apposite to ask this question: can the social media companies be trusted? During the time I responded to the English government’s Green paper on internet safety,  which puts all its faith in a voluntary code and voluntary contributions to a central fund, I read the following articles:

·         Twitter, It’s Time to End Your Anything-Goes Paradise

·         Google collects Android users’ locations even when location services are disabled

·         Is Facebook beyond all hope as regards dialogue?

·         Peppa Pig's tale of torture? Why parents can't rely on platforms like YouTube Kids for child-friendly fare

·         We Can’t Trust Facebook to Regulate Itself

·         Plus a couple of articles by Tanya Byron, pointing out that a voluntary code has failed in the UK for the past decade, but which are accessible only by subscription to The Times. However, this one makes the same points: NSPCC calls for mandatory social media code of practice.

There’s a common myth that the social media companies are too powerful to be brought into line. But when it comes to business practice, they have been, as evidenced by the implementation of new EU rules on VAT, cookies and data protection. Germany has done something about it:

Social media companies could face big fines in Germany if they don’t remove hate speech within 24 hours.

So what’s the problem?

It seems to me that there are two sides to this. Yes, we need to teach kids (and adults) how to be safe online, but I also think the social media companies could do rather more to help.

This is a slightly amended version of an article originally published in my newsletter, Digital Education. Subscribe for free here: Newsletter.

Related articles
Review: The Language of Deception: Weaponizing Next Generation AI, by Justin Hutchens
May 17, 2024
Review: The Language of Deception: Weaponizing Next Generation AI, by Justin Hutchens
May 17, 2024

AI might not be ‘intelligent’ in the strictest sense – but it can certainly appear to be, which is almost as worrying.

May 17, 2024
18 Essential Elements of a Digital Financial Literacy Course
Dec 11, 2023
18 Essential Elements of a Digital Financial Literacy Course
Dec 11, 2023

Here are my 18 suggestions for inclusion on a digital financial literacy course. This is an update of an article first published in 2011.

Dec 11, 2023
Come back, Office Skills, all is forgiven?
Jan 17, 2022
Come back, Office Skills, all is forgiven?
Jan 17, 2022

it is clearly important to ensure that pupils understand not just the mechanics of mail-merging, but the importance of checking the data that is generated.

Jan 17, 2022
Review: Are Your Kids Naked Online? Updated
Feb 10, 2020
Review: Are Your Kids Naked Online? Updated
Feb 10, 2020

A book of e-safety advice for parents.

Updated.

Feb 10, 2020
8 resources for online safety
Feb 10, 2020
8 resources for online safety
Feb 10, 2020

Some of the e-safety resources listed here are for adults, some for parents, and others are useful for discussing with (older) students.

Feb 10, 2020
Bett2020: Safeguarding and Wellbeing
Feb 9, 2020
Bett2020: Safeguarding and Wellbeing
Feb 9, 2020

Developed in conjunction with the police, this product for primary (elementary) school children addresses both safeguarding and wellbeing.

Feb 9, 2020
Bett2020: Safeguarding
Feb 6, 2020
Bett2020: Safeguarding
Feb 6, 2020

Some time ago I compiled a list of ways in which pupils could be unsafe online. The list was extremely long….

Feb 6, 2020
Review of Newsguard
Oct 7, 2019
Review of Newsguard
Oct 7, 2019

Newsguard is a service that rates websites for honesty, transparency and trustworthiness. It evaluates websites against several criteria, such as whether information is gathered and presented responsibly. A browser extension will enable you to see at a glance whether or a not a site they have evaluated is trustworthy.

Oct 7, 2019
Terms and Conditions: The Graphic Novel
Jul 19, 2019
Terms and Conditions: The Graphic Novel
Jul 19, 2019

If only all terms and conditions were presented like this!

Jul 19, 2019
What do kids get up to online?
Feb 4, 2019
What do kids get up to online?
Feb 4, 2019

Here are several research reports on kids’ behaviour online.

Feb 4, 2019
In Digital Education, News & views, Reflections Tags e-safety, online safety
← Why I disabled blog commentsI'm done talking about Bett 2018 →
Recent book reviews
A book review for your English department colleagues perhaps
A book review for your English department colleagues perhaps

Some of these stories are so richly told, it can almost seem as though you’re right there with him.

Read More →
Review: Pen Names
Review: Pen Names

OK, so this has nothing to do with education technology, but we all read (I hope!). A very interesting examination of the pen names some authors have adopted, and why.

Read More →
Review: The Library of Ancient Wisdom: Mesopotamia and the Making of History
Review: The Library of Ancient Wisdom: Mesopotamia and the Making of History

There's a really interesting section in this book about how ceramic storage of data and information is probably the most likely medium to stand the test of time.

Read More →
A book review for your biology colleagues perhaps
A book review for your biology colleagues perhaps

The subject under discussion here is how human physiology has developed in different ways, in response to different conditions around the world.

Read More →
Review: Social Media for Academics
Review: Social Media for Academics

This book is very readable, and if I sound surprised that is because it’s not always true of academics!

Read More →
Quick looks: VIBE Coding by Example
Quick looks: VIBE Coding by Example

For the time being, this book is free in Kindle format.

Read More →
Review: The Game Changers: How Playing Games Changed the World and Can Change You Too
Review: The Game Changers: How Playing Games Changed the World and Can Change You Too

Despite the relative paucity of immediately obvious National Curriculum links, teachers will find several of sections of this book to be highly engaging.

Read More →
Review: The Dictators: 64 Dictators, 64 Authors, 64 Warnings from History
Review: The Dictators: 64 Dictators, 64 Authors, 64 Warnings from History

In some respects one could view this book as a single warning repeated 64 times.

Read More →
Review: The Bookshop, The Draper, The Candlestick Maker: A History of the High Street 
Review: The Bookshop, The Draper, The Candlestick Maker: A History of the High Street 

Taking readers from the Middle Ages to (more or less) the present day, Gray charts how the places where we do our shopping and what we buy have changed over the centuries.

Read More →
Review: Extraordinary Learning For All
Review: Extraordinary Learning For All

As a source of potential ideas and inspiration, the book could be very useful indeed.

Read More →
Dig+Ed+Banner.jpg

Contact us

Privacy

Cookies

Terms and conditions

This website is powered by Squarespace

(c) Terry Freedman All Rights Reserved