Democracy never faced a threat like Facebook

The social networks merely reflect reality and make it more palpable

The social media giants based in the US may soon face a new attack in Europe: There’s a perception among activists and officials that the basis of their business model — targeted advertising — can be a threat to democracy.

In a speech on Wednesday, Commissioner Margrethe Vestager — who, as the top European Union antitrust official, has been the nemesis of US tech companies such as Google and Apple — laid out her problems with the way social networking changes people’s political behaviour. One of her complaints is familiar and much-discussed: Facebook and its peers tend to sort people