Facebook pledges to do more to automutil

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Facebook's new vice president, Sir Nick Clegg, told the BBC that the firm would "do whatever it takes" to make its social media platforms safer for young people.

Sir Nick reacted to the case of 14-year-old Molly Russell, who committed suicide after watching painful pictures of self-harm on Instagram.

He added that some experts say that it is wise to retain some images because they can also help people find support.

He admitted that he would not let his own children see graphic examples.

Molly Russell has committed suicide in 2017. When her family visited her Instagram account, she discovered painful information about depression and suicide.

His father claims to believe that Instagram is partly responsible for the death of his daughter.

"I can tell you first and foremost that we are going to look at it from top to bottom, change everything we do if necessary, to get it right," said Sir Nick.

"We are already taking steps to soon scramble the images, block a number of hashtags that have been discovered and, thirdly, continue to work … with the Samaritans and other organizations."

He added, however, that the advice of these experts is not to ban any content of this nature.

"… I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but they say that in some cases it's better to keep some moving images if it helps people to call for help and get the support they have need, "he said. .

Facebook taxes

The former British Deputy Prime Minister also spoke of tax, saying that Facebook would have to pay more outside of the United States, at its first public appearance as chief communications officer of the technology giant.

It was "unbalanced" that most of Facebook's $ 4 billion [£3bn] The tax bill was paid in the United States "even if the vast majority of Facebook users are outside the United States," he said.

"This is what needs to change," said Sir Nick, adding that it was incumbent on governments to come up with "a better way to tax companies like Facebook."

After his talk with BBC media editor Amol Rajan, Sir Nick delivered his first public speech since his surprise nomination announcing the creation of an external body to help Facebook users challenge the decisions made concerning the content reported.

He said he supported regulation of the technology sector and agreed with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, according to which "Facebook should not make as many important decisions regarding freedom of choice. expression and security ".

In his major speech, Sir Nick also acknowledged that it was the platform's responsibility to limit the potential political damage caused by spreading false information.

But he defended Facebook's business model of using personal data to sell targeted advertising, rather than charging users a subscription, which some would be unable to afford.

Collecting and sharing personal data, such as locating users, buying habits, and vacation plans, was now a "routine" among many private companies and public sector organizations, said Sir Nick .

"The data-driven economy is here to stay and we need to find ways to deal with its disadvantages while preserving its benefits," he said.

"It's for better or for worse, how the Internet works.

"Many critics of Facebook's business model rely on the badumption that advertising is by nature a form of exploitation.

"I do not share this point of view, responsible advertising does exist."

Sir Nick added that he had witnessed "many changes" on Facebook since taking office in October 2018.

He was surprised by his appointment, especially since he had written in the past on the social network.

"The Internet has evolved, as have the standards that apply to it," he said in his speech.