Algorithms Are a Key Life Blood of Social Media Entities

On a recent episode of the Joe Rogan podcast, Rogan interviewed British MP Rupert Lowe. It would be a rational question to ask why he was there. The Times reported that Lowe also went to Texas where he was welcomed by Elon Musk during the Fourth of July weekend. The answer could be Rupert's understanding of America's algorithmic capability and the acceptability of American social media.

Social media algorithms are regulated in Great Britain. Part of their Safety Act creates offenses for certain harmful communications, such as false communications sent with the intent to cause non-trivial psychological or physical harm, along with other specific offenses. While the Act does not generally prohibit false statements, it targets specific categories of illegal or harmful communications under defined circumstances.

In the United States, however, because of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, critics argue that it is harder to hold social media platforms accountable for false statements. Perhaps Mr. Lowe is aware of this distinction. Perhaps his visit to America is an effort to understand how to navigate a less regulated social media environment.

“Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act makes it harder to hold social media platforms accountable for false statements.”

Tony Aguilar

One issue of the Rogan interview revolved around gun laws. MP Rupert Lowe attributed the ending of the freedom to own handguns in London to one murder in Dunblane, Scotland. Rogan's response to Lowe's obvious misstatement was: "one murder?"

In fact, in March 1996, 16 children and their teacher were killed and 15 others were wounded in the Dunblane school massacre. The campaign to end possession of handguns resulted from the Snowdrop petition campaign which enlisted hundreds of supporters and helped bring about legislation prohibiting the private ownership of handguns in Great Britain. According to the BBC, citizens gathered over 750,000 signatures to support this effort.

It would be pure conjecture to speculate about why Lowe would put out what is an obvious misstatement about why handguns were banned in Great Britain. Lowe is a controversial figure in London, although he does have support from people such as Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch who has defended him despite his views on mass deportations.

While his comments about gun control did not raise controversy in the United States, they have created additional controversy in England. The episode illustrates a broader dynamic: the same statements can land very differently depending on the regulatory environment and the audience's historical awareness.