What New Year's Resolutions should the tech sector make to repair its reputation?
A deep dive into this research will be available in our upcoming publication on the implications of techlash for corporate communicators, which will be published in early 2019 – to receive a copy please email [email protected].
It has been a turbulent year for the technology sector, to say the least.
It began with breaking news of the acquisition of the personal data of 87 million Facebook users by Cambridge Analytica via third party app permissions. Facebook claimed that the app developer had breached its terms of service by sharing the data with the political consultancy, but the scandal called into question the little understood business models on which some of the world’s major tech brands have been built.
It went from bad to worse when over 300 major brands pulled their advertising from YouTube following reports of ads running alongside extremist content on the platform. The start of the summer then saw a 4.34 billion euro fine leveraged by the EU against Google following an investigation into anti-competitive behaviour via its Android operating system. This was the latest verdict in a string of investigations by EU institutions into the operations of the ‘big four’ tech companies (Google, Amazon, Apple and Facebook). And as the year nears a close we hear reports of a mass data breach for Facebook, and unfair treatment of women at Google.
I’m sure many in the sector will be glad to see the back of 2018. At a time of year where people often reflect on the year gone by and set themselves goals for the next 12 months, what New Year’s Resolutions should the tech sector make?
Evidence from our Key Influencer Tracking Programme (regular research among influential audiences such as Parliamentarians and business journalists) provides insight into the priorities of UK regulators and media for tech in 2019.
An initial analysis of the data offers three key take outs:
- Data remains a key issue for redress.
MPs and journalists alike lack clarity about the collection, protection and use of user data by technology companies. A lack of understanding leads to an assumption that the data collected is misused by those who hold it. Improving transparency is important – both audiences say this is the priority sector issue for 2019.
- Providing clear, coherent communications to consumers and stakeholders alike is key.
When asked what improved transparency looks like, MPs and journalists agree reducing the length and complexity of terms and conditions is crucial. Introducing easy-to-use tools that allow consumers to control what data is collected and used is also essential. The fact the world’s major tech firms already offer such controls implies more needs to be done to communicate their existence to consumers and stakeholders alike.
- Content integrity will only grow as an issue.
The platform versus publisher debate is complex, and both MPs and journalists struggle to come up with a coherent approach to dealing with the issue. Taking action against fake news and policing extremist content online are important secondary issues among both audiences. Developing ways to monitor and control the publication of inappropriate and violent content online is key – be that via human or technological intervention. Responding promptly to complaints will also be important to demonstrate commitment to the cause.
