Digital Publishing
1 min read

News Corp. calls for algorithm review board to monitor for potential abuse

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News Corp. used its third quarter investor call as a platform to continue its attack on the two dominant tech platforms whose outsized influence and practices are having a “deleterious effect” on journalism.

Chief Executive Robert Thomson expressed concern about the opaque role of algorithms, the secret, behind-the-scenes calculations that determine what information consumers see. He called for the creation of an Algorithm Review Board to monitor for abuse.

“These algorithms are already potent, but they are destined to be much more formidable, and their abundant potential to skew news and skewer customers needs to be better understood and monitored,” Thomson said. “And an Algorithm Review Board, or ARB, would be particularly useful in the oversight of companies, which have horizontal dominance, and use that leverage to dominate a vertical, such as Amazon with audiobooks and, potentially, Facebook with dating.”

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