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In my latest column for New Scientist, I talk about the emerging field of trust and safety, and why it's crucial to the future of our digital public sphere ... and yet is consistently overlooked or undervalued. You can read the article for free -- you just need to sign up for a free account. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2403999-trust-and-safety-the-most-important-tech-job-youve-never-heard-of/
@annaleen
This 1992 paper by system #safety guru #NancyLeveson http://sunnyday.mit.edu/steam.pdf describes the history of safety laws about high pressure #steam. Leveson was arguing for similar laws for safety critical #software, but the same arguments apply to safety in any area, including #socialmedia
She skewers #libertarian claims that liability & reputation are enough, & shows that only real laws regulating operator safety will reduce accidents.
But those who do not know history...
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@annaleen
Your point "... when trust and safety are done well we don't notice." is well made. The same goes for all safety.
We don't notice not getting mugged, or that no airliners crashed today. This comes from lots of conscientious people doing their jobs, while beancounters say "we haven't had any accidents, so obviously all these safety people aren't needed."
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