Nadella bats for clearer laws, rules to govern social media

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has called for a framework of laws and norms to govern social networking platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Nadella said that one-sided actions by the internet companies will yield a long-term solution.

“Unilateral action by individual companies in democracies like ours is just not long-term stable—we do need to be able to have a framework of laws and norms,” Nadella said in the interview.

“Depending on any one individual CEO in any one of these companies to make calls that are going to really help us maintain something as sacred and as important as our democracy, in the long run, is just no way that at least I, as a citizen, would advocate for,” he added.

Nadella’s remarks come at a time when Twitter and other social networking platforms are facing regulatory scrutiny. They are also under scanner over their censorship policies. 

Microsoft does not offer a social networking platform. The company, however, had shown interest in acquiring TikTok in the US. The deal didn’t materialise. In India, Microsoft has invested in VerSe Innovation, which offers a TikTok-clone Josh.

Apart from the social networking platforms, Nadella also touched upon Slack’s calls for probe into Microsoft’s alleged unfair practice of foisting its Teams.

“I always ask the question, would Slack have even existed if it was not for the free access they had on top of, say, the Windows platform?” Nadella added. “They didn’t have to call Microsoft. They didn't have to go through any of our app stores. They didn't need any of our permission compared to any of the other platforms that they're available on. We perhaps provide the most open platform in Windows and even in Office 365.”