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Time to fix an internet bust by surveillance capitalism's demand for data

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS: How will our deepest thoughts at the end of 2017 be altered by the intellectual climate of 2018?

By Lydia Nicholas

27 December 2017

New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

Vladimir Jovanovic/Alamy Stock Photo

Perhaps the optimistic, utopian visions of the early internet were only ever truly accessible to a tiny core of hyper-connected, mostly wealthy, mostly white, mostly men.

But in 2017, any semblance of a wide-eyed innocent web was swept away. Nazis on twitter, fake news on Facebook, as well as holocaust denial and conspiracy theories at the top of Google search results – these are becoming familiar sights.

It can be confusing that tech giants can develop self-driving cars, facial recognition, and maps of the entire planet but can’t make a dent in online abuse and misinformation. In fact, many of these…

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