TIME - Big Tech

Big Tech's Business Model Is a Threat to Democracy. Here's How to Build a Fairer Digital Future

Social media has connected families across oceans, allowed political movements to blossom and reduced friction in many parts of our lives. It has also led to the rise of industrial-scale misinformation and hate speech, left many of us depressed or addicted, and thrust several corporations into unprecedented roles as the arbiters of our new online public square. Our relationships, the way we're governed and the fates of businesses large and small all hinge on algorithms understood by few and accountable to even fewer, writes Billy Perrigo. This was made clear to many Americans in the days after the Capitol riot, when Donald Trump was suspended from Twitter, Facebook and eventually YouTube for his role in inciting the violence. Some denounced the moves as censorship; others wondered why it had taken so long. One thing most agreed on: Silicon Valley CEOs should not be the ones making such momentous decisions. Under President Joe Biden, tech reform will take on a new, almost existential urgency for American democracy.

AD: Jennifer Prandato
Read the full article here