[PROPOSED] Ban on Social Media Data Abuse

[Socalist Russia]

Category: Regulation

Sub Category: Consumer Protection



Noting "social media" as websites and applications that primarily exist for social networking.

Defining social media as websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.

Appalled by the actions that many unscrupulous social media companies have taken to increase revenue; especially with regards to using user-generated content to track users without their consent, target advertising at these users, and even sharing it with third-party data brokers.

Concluding that it has become apparent that action must be taken to curtail these abuses.

Hereby:
Prohibits social media companies from storing user data that is not needed to carry out their social media website's functions, or from transferring any such data to third parties, without the explicit consent of the users concerned (except when it is required under national or international law);
Further prohibits social media companies from using user data to track, or to assist in targetting advertising towards, users without the explicit consent of the users concerned;
Mandates that all social media companies formulate terms of service for their social media websites which can be easily understood by an average and reasonable user of that website, and contains (at a minimum) a detailed statement concerning what the company will do with any data shared with the website.
Recommends that all other companies produce similar terms of service for their websites or applications, where relevant.

[Bears Armed]

OOC
Category and strength?

[Codd]

My suggestion:

Consumer Protection

Strong

[Codd]

I actually support this proposal wholeheartedly.

[Socalist Russia]

Alright, thanks

[Socalist Russia]

Category: Consumer Protection

Strength: Strong

[Imperium Anglorum]

Category: Consumer Protection
Strength: Strong

That's not a category.

[Kenmoria]

Category: Consumer Protection

Strength: Strong

(OOC: I believe you mean: category - regulation, area of effect - consumer protection. The regulation category has AoEs instead of strengths, and consumer protection is one of those subcategories.)

[Socalist Russia]

(OOC, that is correct)

[Kenmoria]

“I do have a possible complaint with your mandate in this proposal. Namely, you explicitly ban the selling of data by social media companies to third parties, but offer no provisions for a circumstance in which this was expected or, indeed, actively consented to by the user.

If a social media website sends out a survey on behalf of another company, then whoever fills it in will probably be fully aware and have no qualms about it being sold to the business in question. I believe you should have something similar with regards to ‘without full consent’ in order to close this problem.”

[Araraukar]

Defining social media as websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.

OOC: This definition would currently make NationStates and things like Imgur "social media" websites, while by the commonly understood meaning of SoMe, they're not. I would suggest rewording the definition as "Defining "social media" as websites and applications that primarily exist for social networking".

[Sierra Lyricalia]

... social networking.

Carlin would be appalled.

[Kenmoria]

(OOC, that is correct)

(OOC: In that case, put the category and strength at the top of your opening post, so other users can easily see it.)

[Snoburg]

The one main problem I see with this proposal is that it doesn't account for data the social media requires to do it's basic functions

[Socalist Russia]

Noted, I changed the wording in the new draft to correct this.

[Kenmoria]

“‘Mandating’ would make a lot more sense as ‘mandates’, in the last clause. Also, terms and conditions are legal documents, thus not being very easily understood: would your last sentence of the final clause mandate these would be out in layman’s terms, or are you just banning deliberate ambiguity?”

[Tinhampton]

A few cleanups here and there - feel free to do with this as you please

Strength: Strong You can't have Strengths with the Regulation category. Get rid of this immediately, no matter what you think about anything else I have to say, if only for the sake of technical accuracy.

Category: Regulation

Sub Category: Consumer Protection



Noting "social media" as websites and applications that primarily exist for social networking.

Defining social media as websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking. Which one is it gonna be, then?

Appalled by the actions that many unscrupulous social media companies have taken to increase revenue.; especially with regards to using user-generated content to track users without their consent, target advertising at these users, and even sharing it with third-party data brokers.

Listing some of these actions, including, but not limited to, using user data to track a user's device's location without the user's consent, using user devices to listen in on conversions that a user has with other people for the purpose of targeted advertising, and illegally storing the data of a user without the user's consent and selling the data to third-party data brokers.

Therefore, Concluding that it has become apparent that action must be taken to curtail these abuses.

Mandating that the storage of user data by social media companies that are otherwise unnecessary to carry out the site's functions without the explicit consent of the user is strictly prohibited, the selling of any user's data to third parties, without the full and clear consent of the user, is strictly prohibited, and that using user data for advertising and tracking without user consent is hereby strictly prohibited. All social media companies must also create terms of service statements that are clear and concise to all users, stating, in detail, what the company will do with any data that is shared with the site.

Hereby:

• Prohibits social media companies from storing user data that is not needed to carry out their social media website's functions, or from transferring any such data to third parties, without the explicit consent of the users concerned (except when it is required under national or international law);
• Further prohibits social media companies from using user data to track, or to assist in targetting advertising towards, users without the explicit consent of the users concerned;
• Mandates that all social media companies formulate terms of service for their social media websites which can be easily understood by an average and reasonable user of that website, and contains (at a minimum) a detailed statement concerning what the company will do with any data shared with the website; and
• Recommends that all other companies produce similar terms of service for their websites or applications, where relevant.