UN Secretary General
Guterres: Social media platforms make money from hate speech
UN Secretary-General António Guterres. photo
© Mark Garten/UN/dpa
The Secretary-General of the United Nations launched a sweeping attack against the operators of social networks before the General Assembly. Their business model causes “immeasurable damage”.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres sharply attacked international technology companies in his speech at the start of the UN general debate. “Social media platforms built on a business model that monetizes outrage, anger and negativity are wreaking untold damage on communities and societies,” Guterres said on Tuesday at the start of the 77th general debate at the UN General Assembly in New York .
Hate speech, misinformation and insults on the Internet are on the rise, personal data is being sold and the surveillance of people is out of control. Artificial intelligence also endangers democracy – quantum computers could destroy digital security systems with their incomparable computing power.