Solutions for Social Media Platforms

Who could have imagined that a social media platform intended to share pictures of your newest puppy or updates on your latest adventure would become the center of a national political firestorm? Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram all started with great promise and were once celebrated by both political parties. Democrats used those platforms as an attempt to show that they were hip and current, and Republicans celebrated American creativity and innovation at its finest.

Fast forward a decade after their creation and these platforms are now seen as the root of all evil in American politics. Stung by their innovative use by President Donald Trump in the 2016 election, Democrats, who previously bragged how they had manipulated the platforms to their advantage, cried foul. Netflix weighed in and created an apocalyptic docudrama. Employees at those companies, who are mostly very far left, hated that “their creation” had been used by those they don’t agree with philosophically. In attempt to make amends with their friends on the left, those employees used tools to rig the election in favor of what was surely the worst Democrat nominee since Jimmy Carter. They suppressed negative information about Joe Biden, such as the Hunter Biden laptop story, and pushed an anti-Trump narrative at every turn. The billionaire founders of these companies, who had never been invited by the “cool kids” to the “right parties” had been left out in the cold as a result of the 2016 election. As a result, they used their massive wealth to fund programs aimed at tipping the scales in key swing States. They allowed their senior employees to collude with Democrat operatives to censor and de-platform Conservatives. After the election, they went even further and the Biden White House was proud that they actively worked with them to “stop misinformation” (aka, censor speech they don’t like).

Ironically, those actions didn’t get the company founders back on the “A list” with their liberal buddies. Politicians from both sides of the aisles are now calling for a repeal of section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and a breakup of these companies.

The solution to “Big Tech censorship” starts with electing people who understand how these platforms work, how their business model operates, and can form policies that get past sound bites to real solutions.

Here’s what I will advocate for and work to pass as the next United States Senator from Ohio:

1. Eliminate fake accounts. Too often, bullying, hate speech, misinformation, and propaganda is spread through fake accounts. Senator Blumenthal recently called out Facebook, who owns Instagram, to stop offering their “Finsta” product. If he had asked his kids or grandkids, instead of his staff, they would have explained that a “Finsta” is a fake Instagram account. Directionally, whomever on his staff wrote the question was on the right track. The social media companies can easily and quickly make this change. Platforms like LinkedIn have proven this model out very effectively.
2. One click unsubscribes. If you want to leave one of these platforms, it’s incredibly difficult and cumbersome. Often, without knowing it, you “reactivate” your account by clicking on an article a friend sends you and just go through countless steps to delete that account. Worse of all, you leave your data behind.
3. Data belongs to the user. In the case of the above, if you leave a social media platform, you can take your data with you, seamlessly, to any other platform you desire. That includes photos, videos, friend connections, etc. It also means the social media platforms must pay their users when they get paid to sell that data to any third party. The “default” must be set to “no” for use of someone’s data. If the user selects “yes” to sharing that data, it must be clearly and unequivocally explained that their data will be used AND the user must be compensated in some way for that privilege. Let the social media companies compete on who is willing to pay the user the most!
4. Platform or publisher, but not both. Section 230 is why the internet flourished in America. However, the tech companies have had it both ways. They must either be platforms for all speech or be held accountable if not.
5. Ban any collusion with government. The first Amendment is first for a reason. Freedom of speech from government is a cornerstone of America. As such, no private business can work with any government entity, political campaign, or political party, directly or indirectly, to selectively filter speech in any way.

These five common sense changes will set us back on track and give us the promise of these social media platforms that was intended. We want them, and the others to follow, to be wildly successful and in America. Good guardrails are the essential missing link, and these five items will do just that!