Games as Social Platforms

Abstract

In September 2022 the California governor signed into law sweeping state legislation (A.B. 587) demanding transparency among social media platforms as to their content moderation policies regarding hate speech, disinformation, and extremism. In it, policymakers don't just hold tech companies responsible to lawmakers; they hold them responsible to the public as well by forcing companies to file semiannual reports detailing their policies toward hate speech, extremism (radicalization), disinformation campaigns, harassment, foreign political interference as well as how they protect their consumers against it via content flagging, moderation, and consumer-side consequences. Such reports will be made public in a searchable repository on the Attorney General's website. California is not unique here. "More than 100 bills in state legislatures across the country aimed at regulating social media content moderation policies" [Zakrzewski 2022], and similar bills are being hammered out in front of the Supreme Court.