UN chief tells consumer tech firms: own the harm your products cause

FILE PHOTO: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during a Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, U.S., June 5, 2024. REUTERS/David Dee Delgado/File Photo

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday demanded that big consumer technology firms take responsibility and "acknowledge the damage your products are inflicting on people and communities."

Taking aim at the companies, which he did not name, and their social media platforms, he said: "You have the power to mitigate harm to people and societies around the world. You have the power to change business models that profit from disinformation and hate".