How to Save the Internet: The Threat to Global Connection in the Age of AI and Political Conflict
How to Save the Internet: The Threat to Global Connection in the Age of AI and Political Conflict
How to Save the Internet: The Threat to Global Connection in the Age of AI and Political Conflict
Description
Description
"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 Frankopan
About the Author
About the Author
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.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
A gripping and timely book. Nick Clegg writes with clarity, authority and urgency about how we have arrived at a digital crossroads - and about what is at stake with the choices that do not lie ahead but need to be made now--Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads
As generative AI reshapes everything from communication to geopolitics, we face a pivotal question: will open, democratic values shape the future - or will fragmentation and authoritarian models win? Nick Clegg makes a compelling case for global cooperation, responsible governance and shared infrastructure to ensure AI remains a force for freedom--Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn and founding investor in OpenAI
The global internet - once a force for openness - is at risk of fracturing under the weight of the contest between open versus closed perspectives on the world. As Nick Clegg powerfully sets out, the technology revolution is the defining political challenge of our time and, as AI becomes more powerful, it is the leadership and values of democratic nations that must set the course--Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Nick Clegg issues a dire warning to democracies to resist the temptation to turn the internet into a 'splinter net' ... Clegg's call for 'radical transparency' from Big Tech is all the more urgent as artificial intelligence threatens to upend and transform the world order--Nate Persily, Professor of Law, Stanford Law School
How to Save the Internet goes behind the scenes at Meta and provides insight into how Silicon Valley's insularity has blinded it to its missteps-- "Guardian"
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
Vintage
Pub date:
2026-08-18
Length:
320 pages
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