Regulate social media? Grid and pipeline rules offer model

+ thank Queen Victoria and Martin Luther for Christmas trees US Edition - Today's top story: What social media regulation could look like: Think of pipelines, not utilities [View in browser]( US Edition | 15 December 2022 [The Conversation]( If you’ve wondered why there aren’t legal guardrails for social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, you’re not alone. From the proliferation of hate speech and misinformation online to data privacy concerns, controversies about how these companies operate have sparked growing calls for regulation. But how should government regulate such a novel and fast-changing industry? Some observers compare social media outlets to public utilities, which are subject to clear rules stating how much they can charge and how to treat customers. But Ted Kury, an economist and director of energy studies at the University of Florida’s Public Utility Research Center, says [pipelines are a better model](. “Like these networks, social media carries a commodity – here it’s information, instead of electricity, oil or gas,” Kury writes. It’s up to Congress to figure out how to make these outlets deliver it safely and fairly. Also today: - [The science of stuttering and overcoming the stigma]( - [Be wary of ‘buy now, pay later’ shopping offers]( - [A problem with the EU’s carbon border tax]( Jennifer Weeks Senior Environment + Energy Editor Is the law coming for Twitter, Meta and other social media outlets? new look casting/iStock via Getty Images [What social media regulation could look like: Think of pipelines, not utilities]( Theodore J. Kury, University of Florida The US government regulates many industries, but social media companies don’t neatly fit existing regulatory templates. 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