The web’s creator says: let’s regulate Big Tech
Tim Berners-Lee has written an open letter describing how to clean up the web.
The status quo: Berners-Lee points in particular to conspiracy theories, fake news, election meddling, and huge hacks to argue that the web is no longer the “free, open, creative space” it was.
Big problems: Just “a handful of platforms ... control which ideas and opinions are seen,” says Berners-Lee. Firms like Facebook and Google, he says, gobble talent, hoard data, and have business models “built to maximise profit more than to maximise social good.”
A solution? “A legal or regulatory framework that accounts for social objectives may help ease those tensions,” suggests Berners-Lee. He doesn’t, however, provide any finer details about what exactly that might entail.
+ The mayor of London and even some Republicans seem to agree with him on holding Big Tech to account.
Deep Dive
Tech policy
How conservative Facebook groups are changing what books children read in school
Parents are gathering online to review books and lobby schools to ban them, often on the basis of sexual content.
Why can’t tech fix its gender problem?
A new generation of tech activists, organizers, and whistleblowers, most of whom are female, non-white, gender-diverse, or queer, may finally bring change.
How the idea of a “transgender contagion” went viral—and caused untold harm
A single paper on the notion that gender dysphoria can spread among young people helped galvanize an anti-trans movement.
The most popular content on Facebook belongs in the garbage
Meta’s own report into what gets the most clicks confirms what many of us know already: spammy memes win.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.