Ajit Pai, Chairman of US Federal Communications Commission, on Wednesday called for more transparency in decisions taken by platforms such as Twitter, Google and Facebook on what content is displayed to users.
“I do think that there might be a conversation about what types of regulations to these platforms,” Mr. Pai said speaking at a media rountable.
“For example, what kind of algorithms are they using to determine what content is seen and what content is not seen when somebody does a Google search, how Facebook feed is defined, when Twitter decides what accounts to suspend – what are the rules behind that,” he said.
He added that there is a need for upfront transparency that will allow consumers to make better decisions is something that will serve everybody well, including social media platforms that increasingly come under scrutiny.
Replying to a query, the Chairman said, “The government does not sit as a gatekeeper to decide what can be published and what can not…who can speak and who can not speak. We would much rather… public discourse in which people engage…”
He added that it is incumbent upon people to counter views that they find false or repugnant to enter the public square and counteract those. “It is not upon the government to say, based on standards that are impossible to define, with any precision about what news should be allowed to publish.”
Mr. Pai said that it is impossible for the government to define in any way “under the American law at least…what companies shall reject some particular views from being expressed.