Is this the internet we always wanted?

The internet has proven invaluable during the coronavirus pandemic, allowing us to continue to work and learn from home, disseminating information to concerned citizens and providing desperately needed social contact for those cut off from family and friends. Before the pandemic, it seemed the internet was increasingly becoming an angry and cold place, providing a platform for selfish pursuits and amplifying extreme views and behaviour. That still goes on, of course, but is the pivot to more altruistic activities online an opportunity to consider again the potential of the internet and what it's for? A string of data scandals over recent years has prompted calls for greater regulation of companies like Google, Facebook and Amazon. But three decades on from the creation of the World Wide Web, is now the time to discuss more sweeping reforms? Proposals are now emerging that could radically change the way the internet works, how your data is managed, who’ll be able to make money, and even challenge the very concept that “the internet should be free”. Ritula Shah is joined by a panel of expert guests to discuss whether the coronavirus-era internet that has brought people together and even thrown us a lifeline might be the internet we wanted all along. If so, how can we build on the moment and make it even better?