The Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (CDEI) has released a report suggesting that new regulation should be passed to control the algorithms that promote content on social networks.

The government advisory body’s review of online targeting also recommended that social media platforms should allow independent researchers access to their data if they are looking into issues of public concern – which could include the effects of social media on mental health, or its role in spreading misinformation.

New regulations should require the creation of publicly accessible online archives for ‘high-risk’ adverts, much like those voluntarily created by the social networks for political adverts, but expanding their remit to cover areas such as jobs, housing, credit and age-restricted products.

Roger Taylor, chair of the CDEI, said: “Most people do not want targeting stopped, but they do want to know that it is being done safely and responsibly, and they want more control.

“Tech platforms’ ability to decide what information people see puts them in a position of real power, to build public trust over the long term it is vital for the government to ensure that the new online harms regulator looks at how platforms recommend content, establishing robust processes to protect vulnerable people.”

The CDEI was created by previous chancellor Philip Hammond in 2017 to look into a range of ethical issues online. Its latest report cited a survey suggesting that fewer than a third of Britons trust platforms to target them in a responsible way, while 61 per cent favoured greater regulatory oversight of online targeting, and only 17 per cent supported the current system of self-regulation for online targeting.

The report follows last year’s online harms white paper, which proposed several aims for a new internet regulator, including suppressing the spread of harmful, but legal, content.

Another study from Ofcom showed that parents increasingly feel that the risks of their children being online outweighs the benefits. While a majority of parents still think the internet is a net good, the proportion has dropped from 65 per cent five years ago to 55 per cent now.

The media regulator also found an increase in online social activism among children, calling the phenomenon the ‘Greta effect’, as almost one in five 12 to 15 year-olds reported using social media to express support for political, environmental or charitable causes or organisations.

Share Story: