The man who is credited with inventing the World Wide Web is calling for government to step in and regulate big tech.

Guardian:

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the world wide web, has called for large technology firms to be regulated to prevent the web from being “weaponised at scale”.

Berners-Lee, in an open letter to mark the 29th anniversary of his invention, said: “In recent years, 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.”

These problems have proliferated because of the concentration of power in the hands of a few platforms – including Facebook, Google, and Twitter – which “control which ideas and opinions are seen and shared”.

“What was once a rich selection of blogs and websites has been compressed under the powerful weight of a few dominant platforms,” said the 62-year-old British computer scientist.

These online gatekeepers can lock in their power by acquiring smaller rivals, buying up new innovations and hiring the industry’s top talent, making it harder for others to compete, he said.

Lee is 100 percent correct in his assessment. These big tech companies have become monopolies and need to be dealt with.

When Lee built the World Wide Web he intended it to be a place where ideas could be freely spread. That is no longer the case when you have huge monopolies forcing people to bend to their will. It’s a ridiculous situation.

They’re trying to shut down everybody. Not even Alex Jones is safe.

Donald Trump should use all these Russian conspiracy theories to justify the regulation of big tech. Since a small group of Russian shitposters allegedly created all sorts of problems for the 2016 election, this provides a perfect opening.

What can his political enemies say? They’ve been whining about Russia for over a year. He can use everything that they’ve been whining about to regulate big tech and implement policies to prevent vote fraud. All under the guise of stopping Russia from hacking and manipulating our democracy.

Regulation of big tech is long overdue.