Opening Algorithms Could Fix Social Media, Says Wheeler

"Algorithms got us into this situation. Algorithms must get us out," blogged Brookings visiting fellow and former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. The internet, once considered a democratizing tool, is under fire for delivering "a decidedly undemocratic outcome," said Wheeler: The "questionable ads" under scrutiny in congressional hearings this week (see 1710310061) are a result of algorithms that "prioritize revenue over veracity." Algorithms have become sophisticated tools creating an internet that's "become the antithesis of the community necessary for democratic processes to succeed," he said. Wheeler plugged work by Harvard researcher Wael Ghonim that proposes opening the input/output information to allow third-party access to information, a practice that wouldn't violate users' privacy but would provide more information on how algorithms operate. Ghonim calls for an open application programming interface that could be applied to monitor and report on effects of social media algorithms to help independently verify information delivered to users.