Facebook is putting tighter controls on user data in response to a privacy crisis. Facebook will stop sharing anonymous information with brokers to help improve people's privacy on the platform. Sputnik discussed this with Dr. Robert Epstein, a Senior Research Psychologist at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology.
Sputnik: In your view, are large digital corporations such as Facebook and Google able to form and change the public's opinion?
Dr. Robert Epstein: There is no question that Google especially has more influence over people around the world than any company has ever had in the history of humankind. They have very powerful tools now that they can use to change people's thinking, beliefs, attitudes, purchases and even their votes.
Sputnik: Is this much more powerful than television?
© AP Photo/ Marcio Jose Sanchez
Dr. Robert Epstein: There's no comparison because television is in most countries very competitive and, of course, it's different from one state to another in the United States, it's different from one country to one another, when you're talking about Facebook and Google you're talking about two companies that control what people around the world, outside of Russia and China, in every country in the world are seeing. So two companies based in a very small area in Silicon Valley in the United States are controlling the opinions, the decisions of 2.5 billion people around the world, that's never happened before, never.
Sputnik: Now when you say they are controlling who are the "they"?
Dr. Robert Epstein: Well, certainly some of what is happening is competitive, in other words various companies and organizations are competing to put their content in front of people on these two big platforms.
https://sputniknews.com/analysis/201804101063395786-google-search-manipulation/ 
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