Let's go further. Any company using an algorithm to profit off people's engagement has to publish the code.
Code's not enough. The data the algorithm is analyzing (both the training data and live data) has to be public too, in order to actually understand what the algorithm is doing.
Is there a way to publish the data without harming the users?
The training data, yes. As for the live data... I would say "yes" in the sense that the service shouldn't be storing anything but what the users explicitly choose to make public to begin with.
Do you think there's a difference between the training data and the live data? Didn't most of these platforms start without engagement algorithms?
They are making money off a literal public good. EVERYTHING they produce, including the profits, is public property.
Good.
Let's go further. Any company using an algorithm to profit off people's engagement has to publish the code.
Code's not enough. The data the algorithm is analyzing (both the training data and live data) has to be public too, in order to actually understand what the algorithm is doing.
Is there a way to publish the data without harming the users?
The training data, yes. As for the live data... I would say "yes" in the sense that the service shouldn't be storing anything but what the users explicitly choose to make public to begin with.
Do you think there's a difference between the training data and the live data? Didn't most of these platforms start without engagement algorithms?
They are making money off a literal public good. EVERYTHING they produce, including the profits, is public property.