Opinion
Google's Best Defense against Trump's Outbursts? Greater Transparency
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This is a purposeful offensive that’s part of a larger effort to polarize the electorate.
By Michael Posner
President Donald Trump’s attack on Google has received a lot of attention over the past couple of days. But the outburst really is nothing new. It echoes a highly cynical conservative campaign to demonize Google, Twitter and Facebook as stealthy liberal agents seeking to suppress right-leaning views.
It should be no surprise that this campaign—including the president’s most recent allegations—lack a factual basis. The absence of proof, unfortunately, won’t slow President Trump and his followers. What the dominant online companies could do to fight back, though, is lower the wall of secrecy around the algorithms that power their sites.
The president kicked off his latest round of internet frenzy with early-morning Twitter posts on Tuesday. “Google search results for ‘Trump News’ shows only the viewing/reporting of Fake News Media,” he declared. “They are controlling what we can & cannot see. This is a very serious situation—will be addressed!” Later in the day, he added the warning that not only Google but also Twitter and Facebook, “have to be careful.”
Read the full Forbes article.
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Michael Posner is a Professor of Business and Society and Director of the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights.
It should be no surprise that this campaign—including the president’s most recent allegations—lack a factual basis. The absence of proof, unfortunately, won’t slow President Trump and his followers. What the dominant online companies could do to fight back, though, is lower the wall of secrecy around the algorithms that power their sites.
The president kicked off his latest round of internet frenzy with early-morning Twitter posts on Tuesday. “Google search results for ‘Trump News’ shows only the viewing/reporting of Fake News Media,” he declared. “They are controlling what we can & cannot see. This is a very serious situation—will be addressed!” Later in the day, he added the warning that not only Google but also Twitter and Facebook, “have to be careful.”
Read the full Forbes article.
___
Michael Posner is a Professor of Business and Society and Director of the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights.