Jasmine McNealy Comments on Court Cases that Could Give the Government More Control of Social Media Platforms

Jasmine McNealy, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Media Production, Management, and Technology associate professor, was quoted in “How a Handful of Court Cases Could Give the Government More Power Over Social Media” published in the Nieman Report on Feb. 27.

The article focuses on potential government control over social media and how that could impact the information that journalists can collect, and the public can see.

“When an official, using an account they usually use to disseminate their perspectives on government business blocks a reporter, blocks a journalist — blocks, quite frankly, a regular person — from those accounts, there’s a problem,” said McNealy. “It’s not a private account anymore. They’ve changed the nature of it from a private space to one that is official, like the statements they would make if they were stating them in their official capacity.”

McNealy questioned [Montana’s] reason for focusing on TikTok, noting many technology firms gather extensive information about users.

“The rationale they give for it doesn’t pass muster at all,” McNealy said. “It’s rooted in xenophobia. Can we just be honest with the issue with TikTok right there? Facebook has been collecting all kinds of information forever.”

Posted: February 29, 2024
Category: College News
Tagged as: Jasmine McNealy, MPMT, Nieman Report, Social Media