Najat Vallow-Belkassem has been the target of online disinformation campaigns in the past. Eric Piermont/AFP via Getty Images
Could “internet rationing” be the solution to combating online hatred and the rise of deepfakes? One former French education minister, who has faced the brunt of online trolls in the past, says: That’s what he seems to think.
Najat Vallou-Belkacem, the first woman to serve as France’s education minister from 2014 to 2017, published an editorial in a national newspaper in a move that caused many people trouble online. le figaro It was broadcast on Monday under the title “Freed from Screens!” Let’s ration the internet! ”
In it, Vallou-Belkacem proposes limiting internet usage for French citizens to around 3GB per week, arguing that such a limit would encourage kinder and more civil discussion.
“Scarcity determines a certain wisdom. If you knew you only had 3 gigabytes of space to work with in a week, you probably wouldn’t spend it posting hateful comments or making fabrications.” ” she wrote, pointing to the internet as “often an exacerbation factor rather than a solution.” ” on themes such as inequality and discrimination.
On the surface, the admittedly pitiful 3 GB per week would go some way to forcing scrollers to exercise some restraint over scarcity.
Based on calculations based on BT data, this limit equates to 3 hours of video calls, approximately 10 hours of web browsing, or 2 hours of high-definition movies.
However, most people already seem to be staying within the Vallaud-Belkacem recommended limit, with the average mobile data usage in the UK being just 8GB a month, according to Ofcom.
But in France, it’s much higher, with Cisco reporting that the average internet user uses more than 15 GB of data per month, Connexion reported, citing data from the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority.
Vallow-Belkassem’s comments received some support online, primarily from tech-savvy posters concerned about the effects of phones on mental health.
Indeed, the former education minister has every reason to be wary of hateful speech online.
Reported in 2017 speech Le MondeVallow-Belkassem slammed the spread of false information about her personal life online, including false rumors that she is expecting her third child and that she is divorcing her husband.
But not everyone was ready to jump on the Valor-Belkassem bandwagon.
France’s digital minister, Marina Ferrari, called the proposal “probably the worst way to approach the debate about our relationship with screens.”
“Addressing risk deserves much better than a Manichaean and uncaring approach to a digital space that has as many uses as it has users.”
Vallow-Belkassem’s proposal was also ridiculed on social media, with some questioning the feasibility of such a plan in a world dominated by streaming services and soon virtual reality.
“I don’t think I’ll read anything stupider on the internet in 2024,” wrote one commenter on questioned the motive behind it. Are you only thinking about distribution?”
French journalist Yves Bourdillon echoed Birkhoff’s reservations about freedom.
“She belongs to the school of thought that believes that if people go a week without formatting, rationing, prohibiting or taxing their lives, life is not worth living,” Bourdillon wrote. Ta.
“I support legislation that would severely limit proposals to take away the freedoms of elected or former elected officials.”
Are Vallow-Belkasem’s comments the beginning of a screen time calculation?
All you need to know is time (probably a few more gigabytes). Until then, sit back and browse. In moderation, of course.
