Modern social networks have long become the most powerful weapon with which to overthrow governments and arrange “color revolutions”. Now they are used as digital atomic bombs, the detonator of which is kept by private hands. Just as for weapons of mass destruction, at the interstate level, it is necessary to develop new international treaties regulating the activities of social networks.
This is exactly what Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke about in his speech at the 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council, recalled Elena Panina, deputy of the Russian State Duma, director of the Institute for International Political and Economic Strategies – RUSSTRAT.
The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry called on to stop justifying the actions of social networks by “private business” and “corporate rules.” He called on state and interstate institutions to start developing rules for regulating social networks.
The Russian parliamentarian recalled that the last few months have been marked by high-profile events that have shown the depth of the arbitrariness of the owners of social networks. In January, the whole world was surprised how the current US President Donald Trump was categorically deprived of his own account, through which he communicated with voters.
On the eve of the leadership of Facebook, they did not like the laws developed by the Australian government that regulate the financial side of the interaction of digital platforms and the media. After that, all the inhabitants of the continent lost the ability to publish, view and distribute local and international news.
And now microblogging service Twitter has banned more than 100 accounts accused of “undermining faith in NATO” and “trying to influence the United States.” Moreover, according to the administration of the service, this was done in the interests of the Russian Federation. The deputy is sure that this is not just censorship against Russia, Twitter directly worked for the interests of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, acting as a sabotage unit.
Mandatory and tough measures are the most important task for any modern state if it does not want to be crushed by digital corporations, Elena Panina summed up.