There's a lot to unpack in that quote and much of it is up to our interpretation.
I feel that the following statements could both be true.
1. Social media platforms should be able to monitor what content users are sharing on these platforms. Therefore these platforms maybe shouldn't have end-to-end encryption.
2. People need to have access to encryption for their own usage outside of social media platforms.
Where this might get tricky is in decentralized platforms which nobody owns. But we don't need to deal with this right now because it's not yet a problem. This will be a cat and mouse game always.
EDIT: Points 1 and 2 aren't necessarily my beliefs. I haven't put enough thought and research into it to have a more fully formed belief. These points are just my interpretation of what Gates could be saying. The context of encryption is in these platforms. He's not attacking encryption in general. Though other sources may reveal more information which could change my interpretation.
>>> Social media platforms should be able to monitor what content users are sharing on these platforms.
Then you’re not a platform, you are a publisher and should be held accountable for what you choose to publish. A platform is literally that: a platform for use by users as they see intended. I’m not talking about trolls, spammers, hackers and those who post illegal content. When platforms move down to editorialize content, they cease to be defined as a platform.
Section 230 allows internet companies to control which content is shown on their platforms and also gives them liability protection against being held accountable for content created by users.
Interesting. Facebook did argue for being a publisher in one case so that they could limit their liability for defamation. But that move would then limit their protections as a platform (as mentioned by another user as a reply to your comment.)
I feel that the following statements could both be true.
1. Social media platforms should be able to monitor what content users are sharing on these platforms. Therefore these platforms maybe shouldn't have end-to-end encryption.
2. People need to have access to encryption for their own usage outside of social media platforms.
Where this might get tricky is in decentralized platforms which nobody owns. But we don't need to deal with this right now because it's not yet a problem. This will be a cat and mouse game always.
EDIT: Points 1 and 2 aren't necessarily my beliefs. I haven't put enough thought and research into it to have a more fully formed belief. These points are just my interpretation of what Gates could be saying. The context of encryption is in these platforms. He's not attacking encryption in general. Though other sources may reveal more information which could change my interpretation.