Re Tim Berners-Lee: we must regulate tech firms to prevent 'weaponised' web

["Dave Farber" <farber () gmail com>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Chris Beck <cbeck () pacanukeha net>
> Date: March 12, 2018 at 7:55:31 AM EDT
> To: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
> Subject: Re: [IP] Tim Berners-Lee: we must regulate tech firms to prevent 'weaponised' web
>
> You'll notice that he had no problem allowing tech firms to inject drm into the web.
>
> Cheers,
> Chris
>
> > On Mar 11, 2018 21:58, "Dave Farber" <farber () gmail com> wrote:
> > There got to be a better way! Just imaging the FWC (Federal Web Commission
> >
> > Dave
> >
> >
> > Begin forwarded message:
> >
> > > From: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne () warpspeed com>
> > > Date: March 11, 2018 at 9:39:03 PM EDT
> > > To: Multiple recipients of Dewayne-Net <dewayne-net () warpspeed com>
> > > Subject: [Dewayne-Net] Tim Berners-Lee: we must regulate tech firms to prevent 'weaponised' web
> > > Reply-To: dewayne-net () warpspeed com
> > >
> > > Tim Berners-Lee: we must regulate tech firms to prevent 'weaponised' web
> > > The inventor of the world wide web warns over concentration of power among a few companies ‘controlling which ideas 
> > > are shared’
> > > By Olivia Solon
> > > Mar 11 2018
> > > <https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/mar/11/tim-berners-lee-tech-companies-regulations>
> > >
> > > Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the world wide web, has called for large technology firms to be regulated to 
> > > prevent the web from being “weaponised at scale”.
> > >
> > > “In recent years, we’ve seen conspiracy theories trend on social media platforms, fake Twitter and Facebook 
> > > accounts stoke social tensions, external actors interfere in elections, and criminals steal troves of personal 
> > > data,” Berners-Lee wrote in an open letter marking the 29th anniversary of his invention.
> > >
> > > These problems have proliferated because of the concentration of power in the hands of a few platforms – including 
> > > Facebook, Google, and Twitter – which “control which ideas and opinions are seen and shared”.
> > >
> > > “What was once a rich selection of blogs and websites has been compressed under the powerful weight of a few 
> > > dominant platforms,” said the 62-year-old British computer scientist. 
> > >
> > > These online gatekeepers can lock in their power by acquiring smaller rivals, buying up new innovations and hiring 
> > > the industry’s top talent, making it harder for others to compete, he said. 
> > >
> > > Google now accounts for about 87% of online searches worldwide. Facebook has more than 2.2 billion monthly active 
> > > users – more than 20 times more than MySpace at its peak. Together, the two companies (including their subsidiaries 
> > > Instagram and YouTube) slurp up more than 60% of digital advertising spend worldwide.
> > >
> > > Although the companies are aware of the problems and have made efforts to fix them – developing systems to tackle 
> > > fake news, bots and influence operations – they have been built to “maximise profit more than maximise social good”.
> > >
> > > “A legal or regulatory framework that accounts for social objectives may help ease those tensions,” he said. 
> > >
> > > Aligning the incentives of the technology sector with those of users and society at large, he argued, will require 
> > > consulting a diverse group of people from business, government, civil society, academia and the arts. 
> > >
> > > Berners-Lee warned of “two myths” that “limit our collective imagination” when looking for solutions to the 
> > > problems facing the web: “The myth that advertising is the only possible business model for online companies, and 
> > > the myth that it’s too late to change the way platforms operate. On both points we need to be a little more 
> > > creative,” he said.
> > >
> > > “I want the web to reflect our hopes and fulfil our dreams, rather than magnify our fears and deepen our 
> > > divisions,” he said.
> > >
> > > The open letter coincides with a significant milestone: 2018 is the first year that more than half of the world’s 
> > > population will be online. 
> > >
> > > This still leaves a gaping “digital divide” that exacerbates existing inequalities: you are more likely to be 
> > > offline if you are female, poor, or live in a rural area or a low-income country. 
> > >
> > > “To be offline today is to be excluded from opportunities to learn and earn, to access valuable services, and to 
> > > participate in democratic debate,” Berners-Lee said. “If we do not invest seriously in closing this gap, the last 
> > > billion will not be connected until 2042. That’s an entire generation left behind.”
> > >
> > > Two years ago, the UN declared internet access to be a basic human right on par with clean water, shelter, food and 
> > > electricity. However, in many places, getting online is prohibitively expensive – the cost of 1GB of mobile 
> > > broadband in Malawi is more than 20% of the average monthly income. In Zimbabwe, it is nearly 45%.
> > >
> > > [snip]
> > >
> > > Dewayne-Net RSS Feed: http://dewaynenet.wordpress.com/feed/
> > > Twitter: https://twitter.com/wa8dzp
> >
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