Experts recommend holistic strategy for online platforms

Experts advise a strategy for dealing with communication platforms Keystone-SDA

Online platforms such as social networks or search engines influence the formation of public opinion and thus democracy. The Federal Media Commission recommends a holistic strategy for the control of platforms.

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Platforms not only have great market power, but also power over the opinions of their readers, the commission wrote. This is because these companies use algorithms to curate a significant part of the public debate, mainly for commercial purposes.

+ Three-quarters of Swiss use ‘divisive’ social media daily

In a position paper presented in Bern on Tuesday, the commission recommends a holistic strategy for the future control and regulation system of platforms. This must go further than the law on communication platforms planned by the government.

The keywords are regulation of market power, non-commercial alternatives to algorithms, increased social supervision of platforms, accountability and a considered approach to digitised content.

Translated from German by DeepL/ts

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