The internet is breaking - but it's not too late to make it better - Poynter

"I've watched these trends closely as director of the International Fact-Checking Network, a group that encourages fact-checking journalism around the world, and I see the public's growing fear that everything they see on the internet is fake, that the old-fashioned markers of accuracy and authenticity are fading away. But as bad as it is, there's still hope: Serious people are still documenting problems and searching for solutions, from scrappy fact-checkers to credentialed academics to members of Congress."

"How we got here is worth a review. Since the early 2000s, a handful of huge, U.S.-based companies have come to dominate today's internet: Meta, Google, X, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft and OpenAI. Not long ago, platforms regularly stopped fraud from running wild when faced with bad publicity and public outrage, through a variety of moderation tools and policies. These dynamics are also part of U.S. foreign policy now; the Trump administration is pressuring foreign governments to weaken their tech regulations."

Public fear is rising that much online content is fake and established markers of accuracy and authenticity are weakening. Independent fact-checkers, academics and lawmakers are documenting problems and pursuing remedies. Since the early 2000s, a small number of large U.S.-based tech companies have come to dominate the internet, concentrating control over platforms and distribution. Platforms once curtailed fraud under public pressure using moderation tools and policies, but those dynamics have eroded. U.S. foreign-policy actions are increasingly tied to tech regulation, with pressure on countries such as Brazil and signals of leverage against European regulatory efforts.

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