Misinformation - A Thematic Research analysing Regulatory Challenges faced by Online Platforms with regards to Misinformation spread

Summary

Misinformation is not a new phenomenon, but the technology behind it is certainly unprecedented. Big data and artificial intelligence (AI) provide the foundation for digital ecosystems to pursue personalization at scale. With their sophisticated algorithms and huge data troves, social media platforms can tailor content to reach those most likely to be influenced. The ad-targeting business model prioritizes profit over quality of content and respect for the user’s privacy.

Increasingly, society is blaming Big Tech companies for allowing the proliferation of false narratives spread by humans and bots on the web. They stand accused of distorting the information we consume in ways that are bad for us both individually and collectively. Four years after Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 US presidential election, fake news is still a major concern, and social media companies have failed in their attempts to banish it.

Scope

• This report looks at how misinformation is impacting the tech, media, and telecom (TMT) industry globally.
• It identifies the companies that will be impacted by misinformation regulation, as well as the main trends shaping the misinformation theme.
• It includes details of regulatory approaches to misinformation by country and a timeline, showing the major milestones in this theme.

Reasons to Buy

• Regulators and policy-makers disagree on how to tackle misinformation, but there has never been a broader consensus that something must be done.
• The US elections and the COVID-19 pandemic have given this issue more urgency and pushed online platforms to self-regulate in a way that has never seen before, particularly around political advertising. We do not believe that these attempts will appease regulators and expect Big Tech to be increasingly held responsible for what they publish. In this report, we identify the likely winners and losers from regulatory action on misinformation.