Angela Merkel has called on major internet platforms to divulge the secrets of their algorithms, arguing that their lack of transparency endangers debating culture. The German chancellor said internet users had a right to know how and on what basis the information they received via search engines was channelled to them. They are different for every search engine, highly secret and determine the significance or ranking of a web page. “The big internet platforms, through their algorithms, have become an eye of a needle which diverse media must pass through [to access their users],” she said. Oettinger told Spiegel Online: “Merkel has touched on an important topic.” But he said questions about search engines’ transparency had to “first undergo a more in-depth examination”.

Source: The Guardian October 27, 2016 14:35 UTC