Should social media companies censor the content they carry? On what basis should they do so and are they doing it fairly? These questions, which have been rumbling for years, gained a sudden urgency last week when Twitter moved to permanently suspend US President Donald Trump from its site.
The platform initially suspended Mr Trump’s account as a result of tweets encouraging his supporters to march on the Capitol in Washington – an event that became a riot. Twitter deemed the President's tweets defending his supporters – though not their specific actions – a breach of its ban on glorifying violence. It made the suspension permanent when, the following day, Mr Trump declared that the “75,000,000 great American Patriots who voted for me… will not be disrespected or treated unfairly.” This, Twitter claimed, was tantamount to a refusal to concede he lost the election, despite his undertaking to accept the result.
Twitter’s action came after former US first lady Michelle Obama urged social media companies to permanently ban Mr Trump so he could not longer use them as a platform to “fuel insurrection”. But some senior Republicans have accused Twitter of acting despotically. Former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley condemned Mr Trump for inciting the attack on Congress, but insisted that “silencing people, not to mention the President of the US, is what happens in China, not our country.”
Twitter fails to act consistently in enforcing its guidelines. The ban on promoting violence, for instance, does not appear to apply to other major global figures who use its platform in provocative ways. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, for example, describes Israel as “a malignant cancerous tumour that has to be removed and eradicated”, but retains Twitter accounts in several languages.
Twitter did respond to criticism of its actions towards Mr Trump by taking down a tweet from the Ayatollah on January 10, though not on the grounds of promotion of violence. Mr Khamenei had tweeted two days earlier to claim that Covid-19 vaccines made in the UK or France were “completely untrustworthy” and designed to “contaminate other nations”. This was deemed to violate Twitter’s ban on “false or misleading information" about Covid-19 vaccinations. But the two-day delay in taking down the tweet suggests it would not have done so had it not been for the accusations of double standards. And this is not the first time Twitter has proved slow in applying its policies to other global figures, while assiduously targeting the account of Mr Trump.
In March last year, Chinese government spokesman Zhao Lijian took to Twitter to claim that the Covid-19 virus had originated not in China but the US, and had been brought to Wuhan by the American military. Twitter declined to add any warnings to the tweet to advise its readers that such claims were without evidence until two months later. And it only acted after The New York Times drew attention to the Twitter's inconsistency in regularly attaching fact-checking warnings to Mr Trump's tweets, but not to those from the other governments.
While Twitter’s inconsistencies are the focus of attention in the US, a worrying case in Britain last week of censorship of by social media companies has drawn rather less attention. Again, it centres on the issue of Covid-19.
The video sharing platform YouTube, worth $15 billion to its owner Google, last week temporarily stopped carrying the output of the UK radio station talkRADIO. It acted on the grounds that some of the station's presenters and guests had contradicted "expert consensus" from British and international health experts over the policy regarding lockdown and the wearing of facemasks to control the spread of Covid-19. This, YouTube claimed, was tantamount to spreading disinformation, though it later rescinded the move and reinstated the station.
It took a government minister to come to the defence of talkRADIO, pointing out that its commentators and interviewees were free to criticise and question government policy in a democracy. To equate this, as YouTube appears to do, with spreading disinformation is tantamount to an attack on press freedom.
And this is not the first time YouTube has acted in such a high-handed way. Last May, it took down the video of an interview with Professor Karol Sikora, a leading British oncologist and former director of the WHO Cancer Programme, who has repeatedly questioned the wisdom of the lockdown policy, which he fears is causing a huge increase in cancer deaths. Again, YouTube reinstated the video, claiming its removal had been an error.
It is possible to feel some sympathy for social media platforms, who are under pressure to remove deliberate disinformation and conspiracy theories – like those that blame Covid-19 on 5G telecommunications masts – just as they are to remove content that promotes violence or terrorism. But these powerful tech giants often display a worrying inconsistency when it comes to enforcing their own guidelines and use their considerable power to close down legitimate debate. Perhaps a solution is for governments to use the law not only to protect the use of personal data but also to ensure that social media companies do not abuse their powers and undermine basic freedoms.
David Powell is a media analyst and former journalist with a range of pan-Arab broadcast media, including BBC Arabic
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying or online bullying could take many forms such as sending unkind or rude messages to someone, socially isolating people from groups, sharing embarrassing pictures of them, or spreading rumors about them.
Cyberbullying can take place on various platforms such as messages, on social media, on group chats, or games.
Parents should watch out for behavioural changes in their children.
When children are being bullied they they may be feel embarrassed and isolated, so parents should watch out for signs of signs of depression and anxiety
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
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Armies of Sand
By Kenneth Pollack (Oxford University Press)
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
THE DRAFT
The final phase of player recruitment for the T10 League has taken place, with UAE and Indian players being drafted to each of the eight teams.
Bengal Tigers
UAE players: Chirag Suri, Mohammed Usman
Indian: Zaheer Khan
Karachians
UAE players: Ahmed Raza, Ghulam Shabber
Indian: Pravin Tambe
Kerala Kings
UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Abdul Shakoor
Indian: RS Sodhi
Maratha Arabians
UAE players: Zahoor Khan, Amir Hayat
Indian: S Badrinath
Northern Warriors
UAE players: Imran Haider, Rahul Bhatia
Indian: Amitoze Singh
Pakhtoons
UAE players: Hafiz Kaleem, Sheer Walli
Indian: RP Singh
Punjabi Legends
UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Sandy Singh
Indian: Praveen Kumar
Rajputs
UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed
Indian: Munaf Patel
