Free Republic

[clip] The right wants regulation too, but of a very different kind. Multiple right-wing commentators have called for Google and Facebook, whose market share eclipses old 20th-century monopolies like Standard Oil and the Bell System, to be regulated like utilities. The impetus is the threat of political bias from companies that now have more influence over the flow of news and information than any other company in history. Facebook, through a recent change to its news feed algorithm, threatens to undercut the success of new media outlets. Google, by tweaking its search results, could swing an election anywhere in the...

The prime minister is to call on investors to boycott social media platforms that do not delete and censor perceived “extremist” views. Speaking at the Davos World Economic Forum, Theresa May will argue that not enough is being done to fight terrorism and paedophiles online. However, right-wing opinions are already frequently censored on social media and other schemes championed by Mrs. May, such as the Prevent count-terror programme, have been used to target critics of Islam and members of UKIP. “Technology companies still need to go further in stepping up to their responsibilities for dealing with harmful and illegal online...