Main content

Social media: More powerful than government?

After social media suspended accounts, some have questioned the power of Silicon Valley.

After social media suspended Donald Trump, some have questioned the power of the Silicon Valley giants: Alexei Navalny and Angela Merkel, among others, have wondered whether it was a step too far. The big five of Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Google and Twitter may have had humble origins but they're now among the biggest companies in the world, wielding enormous global influence. Has big tech gone too far, with this kind of censorship removing more content and threatening freedom of speech, or is it long overdue? And in the age of these new media monoliths, do we want them to be mere platforms or must they accept that they're publishers, responsible for content and democratically accountable?

Available now

27 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Sat 30 Jan 202108:32GMT
  • Sat 30 Jan 202111:32GMT
  • Sun 31 Jan 202108:32GMT
  • Sun 31 Jan 202109:32GMT
  • Mon 1 Feb 202100:32GMT

Watch Global Questions on BBC World News

Watch Global Questions on BBC World News

Global Questions is broadcast on TV and radio. Find details on the TV version here.