Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and on and on and on…simply a few of the social media sites that seem to consume the lives of our society virtually each and every minute of the day. What many innocently believe to be convenient and entertaining methods to communicate, stay in touch, and see what’s going on in the world, is, in reality, an online wolf in sheep’s clothing. VOID has focused its education/awareness efforts on these activities, in particular, the distribution of illicit drugs through these online platforms. Frighteningly, drugs are but one of the many nefarious criminal activities you can discover in the dark world of the internet through social media resources. Continued concerns surrounding cyberbullying, human trafficking, disinformation, child sexual abuse material, and a host of other issues continue to exist and are accessible at the fingertips of our most vulnerable segment of society! Our kids.
Why is this permitted to occur, seemingly unabated? Well, we can place that burden on Section 230(c)(1) of the Communications Decency Act, which provides immunity from liability for information published on these sites by third-party users. In other words, social media platforms are not responsible, under current law, for the information posted/published on their sites. That’s correct! They cannot be held civilly liable for the distribution of fake pills, and other illicit drugs containing fentanyl. Efforts to amend this legislation have occurred over the past in an effort to correct this, but nothing of substance has advanced. The “Kids Online Safety Act” (KOSA) was moving through the legislature just prior to the conclusion of the 117th Congress but again failed to advance.
VOID was also privileged to participate this past year with industry experts, in developing a “Best Practices to Rid Social Media of Drug Trafficking” document. This document outlined a series of reasonable and responsible steps to take in creating a safer online environment.
- Establish strong, specific policies around advertising or selling illicit drugs, controlled substances, and prescription medicines.
- Practice proactive monitoring and remove drug dealers from the platform.
- Manage data to support potential law enforcement investigations.
- Promptly comply with and clearly report on court-authorized requests for information.
- Strengthen users’ ability to report drug content.
- Implement third-party programming interfaces that allow independent parental control software.
- Establish third-party assessment of social media platforms’ transparency reports.
A copy of the document is available for review on the VOID website.
Read the information. Understand Section 230(c) and the need for an effective law to be enacted. Look at it this way; Social media platforms must be held to the same standard and “duty of care” we expect of any business in providing a safe environment for their customers to use. Speak to your member of Congress and other elected officials. Demand action is taken. For once, set aside political posturing for our society’s safety. Thanks to everyone. Stay well!!