Buffalo, NY (WBEN) - As the New York attorney general and governor call for reform and more oversight for social media platforms following the racially-motivated Tops mass shooting in Buffalo, a social media expert at the University at Buffalo says that it may be more challenging to enforce new rules on fringe sites.
Dr. Yotam Ophir of UB says there's no doubt social media platforms, both mainstream ones like Facebook and YouTube, and more extremist ones like 4chan and HN, have played a role in allowing extremists to communicate with one another, and spread conspiracy theories and misinformation among themselves and others. But he has some concerns about the state's report on social media's role in the shooting. "However, I've read that the reporting by the governor's office, and I'm not sure how they evaluate exactly the role that social media platforms played in this specific case," says Ophir. "It's clear that the shooter was involved in those platforms. It's clear that he was learning and maybe even being radicalized online. But it's really hard. In one specific case, to determine exactly what the role of those platforms was, in this specific event."
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Ophir notes it's way too easy for someone to become radicalized by going on fringe social media sites. "It's hard to draw the line between between visiting a website and committing a horrendous act like the shooter here did. But it's very, very easy for people to to find themselves exposed to vile, racist and misogynistic, and dangerous information online," explains Ophir. He says you can get to one of these platforms by simply searching for all kinds of key terms on Google and they might even direct you to those platforms. "My concern, though, is with the potential of those discourses in extremist websites to spill over into mainstream media, including mainstream social media like Twitter and Facebook."
With Governor Hochul and AG Letitia James calling for reform, Ophir says it will be a case of easier said than done for fringe platforms. "I think it's important to understand that many of the fringe websites that the governor is talking about are not operating from the United States. Part of it is because people are trying to hide behind the keyboard and, and avoid being detected by enforcement, law enforcement officers," says Ophir. He says sites like 4Chan did not register in the American system and did not work from the United States. "It will be really, really hard to regulate those platforms," explains Ophir.
Ophir adds limiting the spread of misinformation on mainstream platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Tik Tok and Twitter is much more urgent than going after those much smaller fringe platforms.