Mid July 2015 -
Twitter and Reddit separately announced
major changes which signal an almost unavoidable maturing. It happens to all of
us. We get a job, get a car, get an apartment, get a houseplant, get a
goldfish, get a dog/cat and figure we can handle a house and a family. Each
step in that process comes with additional burdens. Turns out the Internet
industry is not so different. Marketing gurus will tell you it is all product
cycle related, but anyone who has been in the online business long enough will
tell you it is more than that.
Historically, platforms start with a product idealistic,
free-speech, community-will-self-regulate and morality-will-win-out
approach. In time community, legal,
moral or stockholder forces become significant and Internet companies discover the
need to take a direct role in the safety of their users and the nature of the
online environment they create.
This cycle has been repeated by every successful Internet
platform. It is not a conspiracy. It is an example what truly happens at the
intersection of the First Amendment, democracy, free enterprise and technology.
Common sense and good judgement does
prevail.
In 2008, I sat in a room at Stanford University Law’s Center
for Internet and Society with most of the significant companies of the day.
Stanford, aided by Chris Wolf and other interested influencers helped the ADL
convene a meeting to discuss hate on the Internet with an assembled industry group,
not individual companies – a first-of-its-kind and somewhat prickly gathering.
All the companies present that day have worked to oppose
hate online. While many young companies
are starting out with informed and innovative anti-hate solutions, some older
companies steadfastly refuse to acknowledge any responsibility for what
transpires on their services.
Responsibility is an indicator of maturity.
Maturity is not always a function of age.
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