The sociologist Gérald Bronner wanted to be modest in the conclusions of the report of the commission “The Lights on the digital”, which he gave Tuesday January 11 to Emmanuel Macron, assuring that this work had not “Not vocation to pose as a judge of truth or to eradicate disinformation or misinformation online, but to think regarding the means” from “Limit the consequences”.
A caution hammered out throughout the 120 pages of the document, which recalls that freedom of expression guarantees the right to express opinions, even when the facts contradict them. For the 14 personalities who led this work, it is not a question of seeking to “Eradicate” bad information, but many “Limit the spread of content that is harmful to democratic life, deter malicious behavior, sanction illegal practices, improve risk prevention and strengthen user vigilance”. Likewise, the report is careful not to « solution miracle », but tries to outline some avenues for reflection.
Produced in a hundred days, and following several controversies over the composition of the commission, the report is above all an observation: that of the upheaval caused by the digital revolution over the past quarter of a century, which affects almost all areas of society, from lifestyles to social, democratic and informational practices.
The report is intended as a “State of science” on the questions of disinformation and misinformation – the first being deliberate, the second of the order of negligence -, and on the consequences of the new logics brought by algorithms or social networks on the dissemination of information. The observation is nuanced: “False information is in the minority among the information content circulating on the Internet and social networks”, recalls the committee.
No major upheavals
However, the “Social network configuration”, which resulted in a “Massive deregulation” of the information market, and the abundance of content that we consume there can lower our « vigilance cognitive » in the face of false information, notes the text, which remains cautious regarding the consequences of this phenomenon – “The impact of disinformation on electoral results deserves to be scientifically better established”, note for example the authors.
The 30 recommendations issued do not contain any major changes. The report only proposes a modification on the sidelines of the 1881 law on freedom of the press, which governs freedom of expression in France, to allow associations to seize the public authorities when false information creates disturbances. to public order. The latter should also be more strictly framed in the future European Digital Services Act (DSA) regulation, believes the Bronner commission.
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