"Revising Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act would make outlets more accountable for the content they platform. In case people missed it, the final chapter of the long saga of the law forcing China to surrender control of TikTok was resolved by turning over a leading role to Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison. For people not familiar with Ellison, he is racing with Elon Musk for the status of being the richest person in the world. He is also a staunch right-winger and Trump ally, which likely goes far to explain the outcome of the TikTok marathon."
"With Ellison in control of TikTok, we now have right-wingers or loony far-right wingers in control of most of the major social media platforms. Via his Meta conglomerate, newly macho man and Trump buddy Mark Zuckerberg controls Facebook and Instagram, which are used by 56.5 percent and 54.5 percent of Internet consumers, respectively. Then we have TikTok, now controlled by Ellison, which 35.6 percent of Internet customers claim to use. And then there is X, formerly Twitter, which is controlled by mega MAGA nut job Elon Musk, which is used by 29.1 percent of Internet customers."
"YouTube rivals Facebook, with 55.3 percent of Internet customers saying they use it-and YouTube, owned by Google, is a notorious breeding ground for right-wing agitprop. WhatsApp, another Meta property, also ranks high with 54 percent of Internet customers saying they use it. Clearly, the MAGA crowd are now the major players on digital and social-media platforms. And now, a significant stretch of traditional media has also come under their sway. Larry Ellison's son, David, who shares his politics, now controls CBS through his ownership of Paramount-and has elevated ace right-wing troller Bari Weiss into the top spot at CBS News. The senior Ellison is also positioned to get control of CNN through a merger with its parent company."
Major social media and digital platforms are increasingly controlled by right-wing owners: Larry Ellison at TikTok, Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook and Instagram, and Elon Musk at X. Usage statistics show Facebook (56.5%), YouTube (55.3%), Instagram (54.5%), and WhatsApp (54%) remain dominant, while TikTok (35.6%) and X (29.1%) retain sizable audiences. YouTube is described as a breeding ground for right-wing agitprop. Traditional media is also shifting, with David Ellison controlling CBS and installing a right-wing editor, and senior Ellison positioned to pursue control of CNN via a merger. Revising Section 230 would increase platform accountability for hosted content.
Read at The Nation
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