Long untouchable, web giants now know what it feels like to be hunted | John Naughton

Governments, after years of indulgence, are rightly getting tough on social media sitesThe key question to ask when a shocking tragedy comes to light is this: does it signify a scandal or a crisis? Scandals happen all the time in societies. They generate a lot of heat, outrage and public angst. But, eventually, the media caravan moves on and nothing much changes.When in 2011, for example, the Guardian printed shocking revelations of tabloid phone-hacking and, particularly, the news that reporter