Rupert Murdoch has slammed Google and Facebook, outlining a litany of complaints against the tech giants in his opening speech at News Corp’s AGM.
“For many years, our company has been leading the global debate about Big Digital. What we have seen in the past few weeks about the practices at Facebook and Google surely reinforces the need for significant reform,” he said.
“There is no doubt that Facebook employees try to silence conservative voices and a quick Google News search on most contemporary topics often reveals a similar pattern of selectivity — or to be blunt, censorship.
“Secondly, the collusion between the two companies on ad tech as alleged in the Texas Attorney-General’s complaint is extraordinary.
“Let us be very clear about the consequences of that digital ad market manipulation: obviously, publishers have been materially damaged, but companies have also been overcharged for their advertising and consumers have thus paid too much for products.
FILE – In this Oct. 14, 2011 file photo, News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch delivers a keynote address at the National Summit on Education Reform in San Francisco. Sibling rivalries. A quest for power. An affair. A scandal. The turbulent life of the 84-year-old billionaire and his heirs emerged back in the spotlight this week as the aging media magnate readied to hand over the keys to his empire. The media circus around the Murdochs shares many parallels with paparazzi coverage of the royals, including the familys seats of power in the U.K. and in Commonwealth nation Australia, but the jostling for control in Murdochs family is different. The eldest childs inheritance is never ensured. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)
“Both of these issues highlight the fundamental need for algorithmic transparency. The idea falsely promoted by the platforms that algorithms are somehow objective and solely scientific is complete nonsense,” he said.
“Algorithms are subjective and they can be manipulated by people to kill competition and damage other people, publishers and businesses.”
On a happier note, Murdoch told News Corp stockholders that the 2021 fiscal year was the most profitable since 2013.
“We are expanding our reach, revenue and continuing to deliver profit growth. These have been testing times but we emerge more confident than ever about our future.
“We will certainly not rest on our laurels. We will intensify our efforts to increase audiences and enhance profitability.”
