Improving Social Media with Middleware

Abstract

Middleware is software that can give users increased control over their social media experience, allowing them to protect their privacy, customize their recommendations, and understand the spread and impact of content they create. We believe middleware could complement policy efforts and reforms made by social media platforms to improve user experiences on social media, while avoiding freedom of expression questions that plague the regulation of online platforms. We describe and examine middleware as it exists in the world, demonstrating that even while middleware is a viable solution to some contemporary problems attendant to social media, there are still open questions about who middleware helps and who it harms. We suggest Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulation of middleware and show that U.S. Code 47 section 230(b) anticipated categories of middleware that would be protective of users’ control over their online experiences.