The padlock symbol simply means that the data being sent between the web server and the user’s computer is encrypted and cannot be read by others. But many people don’t know that.
Content moderators like these workers make decisions about online communities based on company dictates.
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In the days of online bulletin board systems, community members decided what was acceptable. Reviving that approach to content moderation offers Big Tech a path to legitimacy as public spaces.
Many digital services currently hosted on social media platforms are critical to democracy. Governments must build alternative infrastructures that allow citizens to control their own data.
The amount of online data and transactions are growing exponentially. Related is the increasing possibility of cyberattacks — one way to address these is by regulating parts of the internet.
Facebook’s decision to shut off sharing of Australian news made headlines across the nation.
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The code could require Google and Facebook to pay up for simply including links to news articles from other sites. This has never been a requirement on the web.
The major browsers have privacy modes, but don’t confuse privacy for anonymity.
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Can we make the web more inclusive or will our online reality always be a lawless wasteland of trolls and lies?
Tim Berners-Lee is the director of the World Wide Web Consortium, an organisation which aims to develop international standards for the web.
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The father of the web wants to address issues including malicious content circulation, misinformation, and the polarisation of online debate. But the methods he is proposing aren’t great.
Out of the science labs, our internet connectivity is now part of our everyday lives.
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While the US is reeling from rampant fake online news, political movements in Europe are using the internet as a powerful democratic symbol to win elections. Will cyber-optimism or pessimism win?