In the age of Big Tech, the “freedom of choice” is a trap
On a mobile phone screen, a teenager believes that he freely chooses what he looks at, what he follows and in what time passes. But behind this sense of autonomy there is a system that decides for him what is visible, what is attractive and what is difficult to abandon. Big digital platforms have turned “freedom of choice” into an illusion, sustaining a model based on architectures designed to capture and retain attention, constantly adapting to their users and modeling their habits, emotions and even identity. Thus, what is presented as a defense of individual freedom often serves to avoid regulations that would protect the collective good, especially in the case of minors, who are in a clear inequality before algorithms capable of learning and influencing each decision. In this context, the real question is not whether there is control, but who has it and with what rules: whether democratic institutions seeking to balance rights, or companies that optimise profits.
Article by Josu A. Eguíluz, Digital Law professor at Esade Law School; Irene Unceta, Data, Analytics, Technology and Artificial Intelligence professor at Esade; Liliana Arroyo director of the Chair for Socially Responsible Digital Innovation at Esade.