Digital Gangsters

Harvard Business Review on the British parliament report on “fake news”:

My experience as a computer scientist, internet technology researcher, and public policy advisor leads me to believe that this report accurately portrays tensions at the heart of this industry, and accurately places responsibility for the problems on leading internet firms – which it describes as “digital gangsters.” It has become clear that these businesses have harmed consumers and damaged the public trust; whether we consider the disinformation problem, the spread of hate speech, or the emergence of systemic algorithmic discrimination, the array of negative externalities prompted by this commercial regime is seemingly endless.