[DRAFT] Online Audience Protection Act
Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2021 10:41 am
Looking for suggestions on this GA proposal draft:
RECOGNIZING that freedom of expression is a precious and inalienable right, as to allow citizens to express their opinions freely and without oppression;
FURTHER RECOGNIZING that video services must protect this right;
REALIZING that dangerous content perverting and exploiting this ever-necessary right may be produced on such video services;
FURTHER REALIZING that viewers may not have the prerequisite expertise to recognize dangerous content;
DISGUSTED at how corporations and individuals avoid the legal repercussions of creating dangerous content by exploiting the greed or lack of expertise within such video services;
OUTRIGHT DISGUSTED at how these corporations and individuals produce dangerous content with the potential of harming viewers who might replicate such actions (e.g., burns, falls, property damage), in the pure interest of profit.
This act, with the sole intent of halting the propagation of content encouraging the reproduction of actions endangering viewers, hereby:
1 - Defines “Dangerous Content” as online video or audio content that fits at least two of these criteria:
-a. Made with no concern for what costly injuries or hazards to viewers or the public may be caused by a typical viewer replicating actions in the content, in the case of viewers replicating the content being a reasonable scenario, such as if:
--i. The viewers targeted by the content is below age 12;
--ii. The viewers are repeatedly encouraged to follow hazardous or otherwise harmful behaviors in the content;
--iii. The actions shown in the content require abnormal expertise that an average viewer would not be aware of to identify as hazardous; or
--iv. Viewers of the content are unusually and obviously susceptible to dangerous messages or are susceptible to following hazardous behaviors.
-b. Made solely for profit, with the single intent of propagating a brand or manipulating viewers for themed or branded merchandise or advertising revenue;
-c. Encourages viewers to follow a behavior that causes risk of property damage, injury, or legal prosecution against the viewer; or
-d. Repeatedly actively or carelessly misleads viewers, through the spreading of disinformation or misinformation.
2 - Defines “Video Service” as an internet-based, free or paid service which allows viewers to stream live video content, or submit video content to a public website, and allows viewers to watch live content or submitted content on the aforementioned website.
3 - Requires that those who live stream or submit dangerous content to online video services clearly, truthfully and with initiative at the beginning of the audio or video, for a period of time allowing viewers to absorb the warning, state that this content is:
-a. Not to be reproduced;
-b. Dangerous content, or does not provide the advertised results;
-c. Hazardous or otherwise harmful to viewers due to any other factors obviously relevant to the possible hazards of replicating this content, and why this is true.
4 - Requires that video services supply adequate moderation to protect viewers from dangerous content, by:
-a. Allowing concerned viewers to easily and with only reasonable restriction (solely as to limit spam) notify moderators of possibly dangerous content;
-b. Employing moderators to overview possibly dangerous content, and monitor those who frequently produce dangerous content;
-c. Clearly and publicly releasing guideline pertaining to restriction on the production of dangerous content; and
-d. Limiting public exposure to dangerous content. This can be done by:
--i. age-restricting content;
--ii. banning the creators of the dangerous content; or
--iii. notifying viewers watching the creator’s content of its dangerous nature.
-e. Employing some experts in fields relevant to the videos produced on the video service, as to properly advise moderators on identifying dangerous content.
-f. Allowing content creators to appeal a decision to moderators or moderator assistants (4e) experienced in the field related to the complaint, in order to possibly override said complaint, if:
--i. The complaint has been obviously and in an explainable manner proven to be the product of bias;
--ii. The content is provably benign by parties not associated with the content's producer;
--iii. The complaint is a product of spamming;
--iv. The complaint is provably fraudulent;
--v. The producer of the content was unaware of the danger of the content: this results in the removal of the content, but limited retribution towards the producer of the content; or
--vi. The complaint is provably invalid for a demonstrable reason, proven by the moderator assistant(s) in the field(s) pertinent to the complaint.(4e)
5 - Video services and content producers on those video services are liable for damage caused to viewers or the public due to dangerous content and its replication.
6 - Requires at least 2 hours of education for every student in secondary education pertaining to internet safety and the dangers of online content, and how dangerous content propagates and harms viewers.
7 - Requires that video services, only in cases of repeated, obvious violations to clause 4, causing severe harm to its viewers be, at the discretion of the nation(s) in which this service operates:
-a. Prevented from being viewed in their nation(s);
-b. Fined for damage caused to viewers; or
-c. Made to pay for expenses suffered by viewers due to dangerous content.
RECOGNIZING that freedom of expression is a precious and inalienable right, as to allow citizens to express their opinions freely and without oppression;
FURTHER RECOGNIZING that video services must protect this right;
REALIZING that dangerous content perverting and exploiting this ever-necessary right may be produced on such video services;
FURTHER REALIZING that viewers may not have the prerequisite expertise to recognize dangerous content;
DISGUSTED at how corporations and individuals avoid the legal repercussions of creating dangerous content by exploiting the greed or lack of expertise within such video services;
OUTRIGHT DISGUSTED at how these corporations and individuals produce dangerous content with the potential of harming viewers who might replicate such actions (e.g., burns, falls, property damage), in the pure interest of profit.
This act, with the sole intent of halting the propagation of content encouraging the reproduction of actions endangering viewers, hereby:
1 - Defines “Dangerous Content” as online video or audio content that fits at least two of these criteria:
-a. Made with no concern for what costly injuries or hazards to viewers or the public may be caused by a typical viewer replicating actions in the content, in the case of viewers replicating the content being a reasonable scenario, such as if:
--i. The viewers targeted by the content is below age 12;
--ii. The viewers are repeatedly encouraged to follow hazardous or otherwise harmful behaviors in the content;
--iii. The actions shown in the content require abnormal expertise that an average viewer would not be aware of to identify as hazardous; or
--iv. Viewers of the content are unusually and obviously susceptible to dangerous messages or are susceptible to following hazardous behaviors.
-b. Made solely for profit, with the single intent of propagating a brand or manipulating viewers for themed or branded merchandise or advertising revenue;
-c. Encourages viewers to follow a behavior that causes risk of property damage, injury, or legal prosecution against the viewer; or
-d. Repeatedly actively or carelessly misleads viewers, through the spreading of disinformation or misinformation.
2 - Defines “Video Service” as an internet-based, free or paid service which allows viewers to stream live video content, or submit video content to a public website, and allows viewers to watch live content or submitted content on the aforementioned website.
3 - Requires that those who live stream or submit dangerous content to online video services clearly, truthfully and with initiative at the beginning of the audio or video, for a period of time allowing viewers to absorb the warning, state that this content is:
-a. Not to be reproduced;
-b. Dangerous content, or does not provide the advertised results;
-c. Hazardous or otherwise harmful to viewers due to any other factors obviously relevant to the possible hazards of replicating this content, and why this is true.
4 - Requires that video services supply adequate moderation to protect viewers from dangerous content, by:
-a. Allowing concerned viewers to easily and with only reasonable restriction (solely as to limit spam) notify moderators of possibly dangerous content;
-b. Employing moderators to overview possibly dangerous content, and monitor those who frequently produce dangerous content;
-c. Clearly and publicly releasing guideline pertaining to restriction on the production of dangerous content; and
-d. Limiting public exposure to dangerous content. This can be done by:
--i. age-restricting content;
--ii. banning the creators of the dangerous content; or
--iii. notifying viewers watching the creator’s content of its dangerous nature.
-e. Employing some experts in fields relevant to the videos produced on the video service, as to properly advise moderators on identifying dangerous content.
-f. Allowing content creators to appeal a decision to moderators or moderator assistants (4e) experienced in the field related to the complaint, in order to possibly override said complaint, if:
--i. The complaint has been obviously and in an explainable manner proven to be the product of bias;
--ii. The content is provably benign by parties not associated with the content's producer;
--iii. The complaint is a product of spamming;
--iv. The complaint is provably fraudulent;
--v. The producer of the content was unaware of the danger of the content: this results in the removal of the content, but limited retribution towards the producer of the content; or
--vi. The complaint is provably invalid for a demonstrable reason, proven by the moderator assistant(s) in the field(s) pertinent to the complaint.(4e)
5 - Video services and content producers on those video services are liable for damage caused to viewers or the public due to dangerous content and its replication.
6 - Requires at least 2 hours of education for every student in secondary education pertaining to internet safety and the dangers of online content, and how dangerous content propagates and harms viewers.
7 - Requires that video services, only in cases of repeated, obvious violations to clause 4, causing severe harm to its viewers be, at the discretion of the nation(s) in which this service operates:
-a. Prevented from being viewed in their nation(s);
-b. Fined for damage caused to viewers; or
-c. Made to pay for expenses suffered by viewers due to dangerous content.