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by Nick Clegg (Author)
"A wake-up call we cannot afford to ignore." -- Tony Blair
"A vital read for anyone building or regulating the next era of technology." -- Reid Hoffman
The global, open internet is fragmenting. As democracies seek to rein in the power of Big Tech, as Silicon Valley turns toward an America-first agenda, and as authoritarian regimes like China and Russia wall off their citizens from the rest of the online world, the most powerful tool ever created for global connection now faces disintegration. Drawing on his experiences inside Meta and his interactions with world leaders, Nick Clegg--Meta's former President of Global Affairs--reveals where Big Tech has gone wrong, how Silicon Valley's insularity has blinded it to its missteps, and what radical reforms are needed if global platforms are to secure a sustainable future. Clegg also challenges the prevailing narrative that these companies' algorithms inevitably polarize, manipulate, or harm society, arguing that many of these claims are overstated or false. While he agrees that new regulation is vital, he warns that building national borders around the internet is not the answer. Such fragmentation, he contends, would cripple the web's unparalleled ability to enable knowledge-sharing, collaboration, education, trade, and scientific discovery--threatening the progress and empowerment of billions. Radical, reasoned, and deeply felt, How to Save the Internet offers a clear-eyed blueprint for global cooperation--one that seeks to reform Big Tech while preserving the openness and interconnectedness upon which our shared future depends. "A gripping and timely book. Nick Clegg writes with clarity, authority, and urgency." -- Peter FrankopanAuthor Biography
Nick Clegg recently stepped down as President, Global Affairs at Meta, the company's chief policy decision-maker and its principal interlocutor with world leaders, governments and policymakers around the globe. Previously he was Deputy Prime Minister of the UK. At Meta, he shifted the company toward engagement with regulation, created an independent Oversight Board and opened it up to rigorous academic research. He managed some of the most complex issues the company faces, including content policy and elections, and took key decisions on the suspension (and later reinstatement) of President Trump, the handling of misinformation during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the company's response to Russian state media and covert operations following the invasion of Ukraine. He is the author of two bestselling books and speaks five languages.
