VOA常速英语2019--2018年：美国社交媒体巨头的多事之年（在线收听）

The tech giants have enjoyed growing markets and popularity worldwide.

一直以来，各科技巨头公司遍布全球各个充满蓬勃生机的市场，备受人们欢迎。

But 2018 changed that.

但2018年，这一切都改变了。

Are America’s technology companies serving as instruments of freedom or instruments of control?

美国的科技公司到底是获得自由的工具还是掌控他人自由的工具？

Are they fulfilling the promise of the digital age?

它们是否完成了数字时代的承诺？

Are they advancing the cause of self-government ?

它们是否推进了自我治理的大业呢？

Or are they serving of instruments of manipulation used by powerful interests and foreign governments to rob the people of their power, agency and dignity?

还是他们充当了操纵他人的工具，为强权和外国政府所用，来窃取属于人民的权力、国家机关信息和尊严呢？

In 2018, there’s been the challenging year for, you know, tech companies and consumers are alike.

2018年对于科技公司和消费者来说都是极具挑战的一年。

Companies’ CEO are getting called to Congress and hearing, promising profusely that they will fix the problems of data bridge but still cannot do it.

各科技公司的首席执行官受到传唤，来到美国国会和听证会上。他们都满口答应说会解决数据鸿沟的问题，但他们依然没能做到。

The year saw new revelations of foreign operatives using social media to secretly spread divisive and often bogus messages in the US and worldwide.

2018年，有人披露有境外势力操纵社交媒体，以悄无声息的方式散播分裂性的消息，但这些消息往往是虚假消息，散播范围不止限于美国，还有全球范围。

It doesn’t matter to whose benefit they were operating.

最终是谁渔翁得利其实不重要。

It bothers people here that a foreign country using our social networks and digital products and services, that we have come to feel uncomfortable in a foreign government has come and used that against us.

人们感到困扰的是：其他国家用我们的社交网络、数码产品和服务来做这种事；我们感到不舒服的是：外国政府竟然可以以这个为工具来做不利于我们的事情。

Facebook faced major criticism after a data breach affected millions and revelations that it lacks oversight allowed a political consulting firm to exploit millions of its users’ data.

脸书备受诟病，因为一次数据泄露影响了上百万人，而且有人揭露称脸书缺乏监管，这才使得某政治咨询公司得以使用上百万用户的数据。

That has led companies like Latticework to create new ways for users to protect their data and themselves, Sutardja says.

这让包括Latticework在内的一些公司开创了一些方法，让用户可以保护自己及自己的数据，Sutardja如是说道。

Despite, you know, apologizing profusely for leaking as much data, you can’t do anything about it because they are real master. The boss is wall straight.

虽然脸书对于数据泄露之事的道歉诚意满满，但用户还是深感无力，因为科技公司才是用户数据的真正掌控者，才是控制局势的人。

User data was just one area of criticism in 2018.

用户数据泄露只是2018年的槽点之一。

Under pressure, social media companies tighten restrictions on the kinds of speech they tarry on their sites and workers price managers about their company’s government contracts and treatment of female colleagues.

迫于压力，一些社交媒体公司加紧了对网站上言论的管控，同时也加强管理了公司与政府合同的价格以及女性员工的待遇。

The revelations planted some like former tech columnist Walt Mossberg to give up Facebook.

如此种种让一些人不再使用脸书，比如前科技专栏家沃尔特·莫斯伯格。

He wants federal law to limit US Internet firms’ collection and use of user data.

沃尔特·莫斯伯格希望联邦法律能够限制美国各公司收集并使用用户的数据。

These are giant companies now and there really are four or five of them that control everything, and governments and citizens of countries around the world need the right to regulate them without closing down free speech, and that’s tricky.

这些都是大公司，其中有那么四五个公司手握所有信息，而世界各国政府和公民都需要监管它们的权利，同时确保自由言论常青。这件事很有风险。

After a year of privacy and data scandals, 2019 may bring tighter rules governing users’ data and other issues.

闹了一年的隐私与数据丑闻之后，2019年或许有更为严格的监管规定来保护用户数据以及治理其他问题。