Recode Decode: Dipayan Ghosh and Ben Scott, co-authors, ‘Digital Deceit’

Political Will

Ben Scott emphasizes the importance of political will in addressing the challenges posed by digital platforms. He argues that public education is crucial to shift the debate from national security to the core issues of data privacy and persuasive messaging. Scott notes, "We need to begin to control the way that's done. Otherwise, we're going to continue to see adverse effects in the public."

We need to begin to control the way that's done. Otherwise, we're going to continue to see adverse effects in the public.

--- Ben Scott

He believes that political disinformation might ironically drive the political will needed to address these issues 1 2.

   

Regulatory Hurdles

The path to implementing new regulations on tech companies is fraught with challenges. Ben Scott compares the situation to the oil industry's influence, highlighting the difficulty of overcoming entrenched interests. He points out that European regulators, unlike their American counterparts, are more proactive in holding tech companies accountable.

I'm not holding my breath for Washington to take any aggressive regulatory action anytime soon.

--- Ben Scott

Dipayan Ghosh adds that the current U.S. administration's stance on technology is unclear, with deregulation being the only consistent policy 3 4.