TOBY SHAPSHAK: The Web, weaponised
Online pioneer warns of a concentration of power that affects ‘which ideas and opinions are seen and shared’
Online power, consolidated in a few large players, has enabled them to "weaponise the Web at scale", says the man who invented it, Sir Tim Berners-Lee. Web Foundation founder Berners-Lee, marking his creation’s 29th anniversary, wrote this week: "This year marks a milestone in the Web’s history: for the first time, we will cross the tipping point when more than half the world’s population will be online." But he warns of something we’re all too familiar with in this post-truth era: "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." The problem is that the concentration of power in the hands of a few big tech firms has compressed "a rich selection of blogs and websites ... under the powerful weight of a few dominant platforms". Berners-Lee doesn’t specifically name them, but he means Facebook, Twitter and Google. More damaging, ...
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