Who should control our digital world?

Al JazeeraEN 1 min read 100% complete February 17, 2026 at 08:30 PM

AI Summary

short article 1 min

A few tech corporations currently control a majority of the world's data, raising concerns about their influence over information access and social media content. Published on February 17, 2026, the article discusses how countries are responding to this dominance by implementing new laws and developing infrastructure aimed at regaining control over their digital spaces. However, government control also presents potential risks of increased surveillance and censorship, creating a complex challenge. The discussion includes experts Alejandro Mayoral Banos, Arthur Gwagwa, and Sahar Khamis, who address the ongoing debate about digital rights and the balance between corporate and governmental power in the digital world. The central question is who should ultimately control the digital world and its vast amounts of data.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

UNESCO 50% University of Maryland 50% Access Now 60% Arthur Gwagwa 60% Sahar Khamis 60% Stefanie Dekker 60% Alejandro Mayoral Banos 60% Countries ×270%

Keywords

data control 90% digital world 80% tech corporations 70% social media 60% government control 60% digital rights 50% surveillance 50% censorship 50% legislation 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.30

Source Transparency

Source

Al Jazeera

Classification Confidence

85%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis.

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data control digital world tech corporations social media government control digital rights surveillance censorship legislation

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