Angela Merkel has called on big internet companies to be more transparent about how information is filtered to people REUTERS/FABRIZIO BENSCHAngela Merkel wants the EU to ensure that internet companies spell out how they generate news and search items for users amid fears that they are pandering to prejudices. The German chancellor is concerned by the way that online providers such as Google and Facebook present material through secretive algorithms which can prioritise new material based on previous topics. Mrs Merkel is said to believe that this has helped to polarise opinion in the US election campaign with hardcore supporters becoming shielded from anything which confronts or criticises their views. This in turn can fuel suspicion and conspiracy theories as…

Source: The Times October 28, 2016 16:01 UTC