WEF 2024: Signal chief warns of online risks and political manipulation
Whittaker expressed worry about the political misuse of online issues, citing instances in the United States where attorneys general decide what's deemed harmful content. She cautioned against a one-size-fits-all approach amid a politically charged election year.
Meredith Whittaker, President of Signal, USA, raised concerns about the state of online platforms during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum 2024 in Davos. She highlighted the growing influence of lobbying in tech, questioning the authenticity of collaboration. Signal is an ad-free, privacy-focused, end-to-end encrypted messaging platform.
Reflecting on her online experience since youth, Whittaker pointed out the need for community moderation. She remarked, "I’ve never seen a platform that doesn’t need some standards or some way of ensuring that guy who posts 50 paragraphs about his pet project doesn’t get to interrupt everyone every time."
However, she criticised the current trend of applying universal standards to diverse platforms, fueled by a surveillance-driven business model. In her words, "We have a surveillance-driven business model based on surveillance advertising that has grown these little autonomous groups into a global one-size-fits-all set of platforms that are trying to boil the ocean around standards that cannot be generalised."
Whittaker expressed worry about the political misuse of online issues, citing instances in the United States where attorneys general decide what's deemed harmful content. She cautioned against a one-size-fits-all approach amid a politically charged election year. "Right now, we have attorneys general in Florida deciding what harmful content is and is not there, including gender-affirming care, including access to LGBTQ resources," she stated.
Turning her attention to the core issues, Whittaker called for scrutiny of surveillance advertising and engagement-driven models, urging a proactive approach to the problems at hand. She said, "I think we need to attack this problem at the root."
Proudly representing Signal, a nonprofit committed to privacy, Whittaker stressed their mission to provide a secure space for users without engagement-driven tactics.
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