How Surveillance Capitalism Undermines Democracy

Since the 2016 US election, there has been a growing public concern and debate about the effect and the role that platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Google are having on the integrity of democracy and on the character of society. Although the term “fake news” is often misused to discredit the free press, misinformation is originating from social media platforms that operate in unregulated spaces — a presenting a very real threat to democracy.

In this video, University of British Columbia assistant professor Taylor Owen explains that governments need to act quickly to regulate these platforms but the solution is not always clear. Although election laws do exist in democratic countries to dictate what can be said and who it can be said to, social media platforms aren’t required to disclose who is spending what money, from where in the world, and to which audience. Since governments have a hand’s off approach to the technology sector, social media platforms are left to govern themselves.

Owen argues that ultimately, only policy that reflects the way in which reality is increasingly shaped by digital technology will lead to better governance of social media platforms. Without effective policy tools — particularly those expressed in national data strategies — the spread of misinformation and the associated threat to democracy will continue.

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