Chapter 3: Bruno and I both graduated from university together, but he took a different, more global path. After spending 15 years working in Silicon Valley, he moved back to our town and was quickly hired by the biggest social media firm in Italy. a glimpse of the life I might have had.

I decide to arrange up a romantic supper with a 41-year-old man instead of having dinner with my girlfriend Gabrielle.

I walk toward the rectangular mass of iron lattice that is the old Fiat factory in Lingotto on the south side of the city on a clear, dry evening as dusk falls over Turin as it sits in its valley between the towering Italian Alps on one side and the rolling hills that rise up from the Po river on the other. The nearly kilometer-long factory has been converted into offices and a ground-floor shopping centre. High-tech startups now frequently come from the United States, France, and Germany.

People are now crammed into the structure that served as the city's hub when Turin manufactured half of all the autos in Europe as they work to understand how to sell affordable handbags online. The inhabitants of Turin, unlike earlier generations, are at least no longer doomed to a life of arduous labour.

Paulina lived next to this structure.

I requested a quiet table at the Osteria del Fiat. When the host directs us to a very packed dining room, I am let down. We pass a sizable space with just one guest table present. I identify a former local politician among the group of well-dressed men. Power brokers want not to be overheard in the hidden corners of the city.

We complete our own dinner an hour later, and Bruno takes a sip of the Dolcetto d'Alba we have been sipping. We can now get to the heart of the meal after the customary introductions and the sharing of information about mutual friends. I describe how Paulina was using his employer's app more than 50 times every day.

"At ItaliaApp, we prioritize repeat visitors. Some readers we seduce with glitz, while others we frighten into addiction.

That's manipulation, right?

"We are providing what the public wants. They will discover hatred if they so want. They will also find love if they desire it.

"How about advancing human rights and democratic principles?"

"That's just academic rhetoric for pupils. You know that.”

Paulina Fiore passed away after consuming false information provided to her by ItaliaApp.

If someone can't handle online news, it's not our problem. Someone else will send it to them if we don't.

I comment that you have developed a very American way of thinking. Although it's frustrating that my old friend doesn't view the world the same way we once did, I've learned to embrace people's differences, whether they are political or not. I continue, "The police appear to be quite interested in her social media past."

Bruno asks me with fresh interest, "Has the police department launched an inquiry?"

Perhaps the authors of the misleading news are to blame for her death rather than ItaliaApp. I'll have a look at it and shine some light on the fraudulent new producers if you could email me her browsing history, the one the cops are looking at. That might enable you to respond to bad coverage sooner. Of course, I'll keep your name off of it.

"I'll consider it," Bruno concentrates on his glass of red wine.

Although Bruno and I may not agree on everything, we have enough common ground that we can be confident in our ability to uphold each other's interests. Paulina's browsing history is sent to me via an encrypted messaging app the following afternoon.

I begin to click on the links:

the ongoing influx of illegal immigrants into Italy.

Covid ascends via ventilation shafts.

How Elevator Buttons Spread Disease in Seven Ways

The first patient with monkey pox in Italy is photographed by paparazzi.

MonkeyPox-infected vegetables picked by immigrants and sold in our supermarkets.

I peruse months' worth of information concerning fatal diseases and how to prevent them. Government efforts to counteract fake news have been unsuccessful.

My heart skips a beat as I see our name among the thousands of links I scan.

"Never believe the government when it comes to monkey pox. See the Turin Register articles that are attached.

I click the link and am greeted by a series of well-known headlines: