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VOA慢速英语--美科技巨头们封禁特朗普后怎么办?

时间:2021-01-17 16:47:18

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As the world accepts a Twitter without @realdonaldtrump, the big question is: "Now what?"

Major technology companies have long been accused of giving President Donald Trump1 special treatment that other users did not receive. Now, tech companies have banned Trump from their platforms after a mob led by his supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6.

Trump was blocked from Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat and other social media platforms. In many ways, removing the president was the easy part. But what happens now?

Will tech companies hold other world leaders to the same level of behavior? Will they go further into deciding what is and is not permitted on their platforms, perhaps angering many of their users? Will all this cause additional online divisions that will push people with extreme ideas onto secret platforms?

Although they've long tried to remain neutral, Facebook, Twitter and other platforms are slowly finding that they can play an active part in shaping the modern world. Their services are used by many angry groups as well as people pushing misinformation about science, politics and medicine.

The companies are moving from defending "free-speech absolutism, towards an understanding of speech moderation as a matter of public health," said media professor Ethan Zuckerman of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

None of this can be fixed2 quickly, and banning a president with only a few more days in office is not the answer.

But there are ways to be more effective.

When the 26-minute video "Pl andemic" suddenly appeared on the internet, it received millions of views in just a few days. It was filled with untrue information that pointed3 to a worldwide COVID-19 conspiracy4. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube removed it only after the video had received millions of views. But the companies were ready for part two of the video. When it appeared, it was removed immediately and received very little attention.

"Sharing disinformation about COVID is a danger because it makes it harder for us to fight the disease," Zuckerman said. He added that "sharing disinformation about voting is an attack on our democracy."

It has been easier for tech companies to act on matters of public health than on politics. Corporate5 reactions to Trump and his supporters have led to angry cries of censorship. Such actions even drew criticism from European leaders such as German Chancellor6 Angela Merkel, and she has little love for Trump.

Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said freedom of opinion is one of our most basic rights. He told reporters that such a right can only be removed or changed by governments, not by "a decision by the management of social media platforms."

That may be possible in Europe, but it is much more complex in the U.S., where the First Amendment7 of the U.S. Constitution protects freedom of expression from government rules. However, it does not protect freedom of expression from corporate rules on privately-owned, communication platforms.

Governments, of course, remain free to regulate tech companies. Over the past year, Trump, other Republicans and some Democrats8 have called for the removal of a 1996 law known as Section 230. The law protects social media platforms from being sued for a lot of money by anyone who feels wronged by something someone else has posted.

Still, few are happy with the often slow reactions of companies like Twitter and Facebook to events like the U.S. Capitol attack, other violent events or live-streamed shootings.

Sarita Schoenebeck is a University of Michigan professor who studies online harassment9. She said it might be time for the platforms to reexamine how they react to problematic material.

Until recently, tech companies have looked only at problematic material on its own. They have not thought about "the broader social and cultural" effect, she said. She added that companies should look at democratic ideals, community governance and platform rules to "shape behavior."

Jared Schroeder is an expert on social media and the First Amendment at Southern Methodist University. He thinks the Trump bans will push supporters to more secretive platforms where "they can organize and communicate."

"The bans have taken away the best tools for organizing people and for Trump to speak to the largest audiences, but these are by no means the only tools," Schroeder said.

Words in This Story

platform - n. something that allows someone to tell a large number of people about an idea, product,

absolutism – n. a philosophy of never making exceptions

conspiracy – n. a secret plan made by two or more people to do something that is harmful or illegal

censorship – n. a system of examining books, movies, letters, etc., and removes things that are considered to be offensive, immoral10, harmful to society

management – n. the control or organization of something

regulate – v. to make rules or laws that control something

sue – v. to use a legal process by which you try to get a court of law to force a person, company, or organization that has treated you unfairly or hurt you in some way to give you something or to do something

live-stream – v. to put on the internet pictures of events as they happen

harassment – n. behavior that annoys or troubles someone


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 trump LU1zK     
n.王牌,法宝;v.打出王牌,吹喇叭
参考例句:
  • He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
  • The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手,作为他的王牌。
2 fixed JsKzzj     
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的
参考例句:
  • Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
  • Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
3 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的,直截了当的
参考例句:
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
4 conspiracy NpczE     
n.阴谋,密谋,共谋
参考例句:
  • The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
  • He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。
5 corporate 7olzl     
adj.共同的,全体的;公司的,企业的
参考例句:
  • This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
  • His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。
6 chancellor aUAyA     
n.(英)大臣;法官;(德、奥)总理;大学校长
参考例句:
  • They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
  • He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。
7 amendment Mx8zY     
n.改正,修正,改善,修正案
参考例句:
  • The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
  • The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。
8 democrats 655beefefdcaf76097d489a3ff245f76     
n.民主主义者,民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
  • The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
9 harassment weNxI     
n.骚扰,扰乱,烦恼,烦乱
参考例句:
  • She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
  • The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。
10 immoral waCx8     
adj.不道德的,淫荡的,荒淫的,有伤风化的
参考例句:
  • She was questioned about his immoral conduct toward her.她被询问过有关他对她的不道德行为的情况。
  • It is my belief that nuclear weapons are immoral.我相信使核武器是不邪恶的。

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