UK to Ban Social Media ‘Likes’ Button for Children
The Information Commissioner of UK has taken offence at the technique of ‘Like’ in particular, as the commissioner views it as an underhand mechanism to ‘nudge’ children to obey with its desired outcomes.
Social media companies mainly Facebook has come under fresh pressure from the government of the UK to improve its child safety measure with the fresh threat to ban the popular ‘like’ button for children.
The Information Commissioner of UK has taken offence at the technique of ‘Like’ in particular, as the commissioner views it as an underhand mechanism to ‘nudge’ children to obey with its desired outcomes, keeping them online for longer period of time and thereby opening up a fresh source of data for the social media companies.
‘Likes’ also encourage the children to open new profiles on Facebook, while streaks in Instagram encourages them to upload photos and videos on a regular basis.
The Information Commissioner's Office has observed that the mechanism has swiftly grown on to become an important method used by both Facebook and Instagram to lure the children to social media.
This has also encouraged demands for reforms from various quarters across the world, while in the UK it has already taken the shape of a written blueprint setting out 16 standards that online services must follow.
The blueprint includes a ‘high privacy’ setting which gets activated by default and keeps check on the nudge techniques designed to encourage children to surrender their privacy or hand over personal data without any reason. To ensure the success of the blueprint, the Information Commissioner Office added that online services and social media companies must also adopt ‘robust’ age verification systems.
The Information Commissioner's Office has also suggested that the firms who do not comply with the new rules are going to face fines up to 20 million euros or 4% of their worldwide annual turnover under the new General Data Protection Regulation.
Elizabeth Denham, the Information Commissioner said: “This is the connected generation. The Internet and all its wonders are hardwired into their everyday lives. We shouldn’t have to prevent our children from being able to use it, but we must demand that they are protected when they do. This code does that.”
Earlier also Denham had adopted a tough measure against Facebook on the issue of data misuse, arguing that, “the time for self regulation is up”.
The blueprint is now at the consultation stage and the risk of breaking new codes is expected to come into force from 2020. Now, the strict measures will force social media companies, mainly Facebook and Instagram to re-think and take up specific measures to stop its platform to be misused.