Big tech has jumped the shark with the 2020 election. They now ascribe to blatant political censorship and propaganda. They have monopoly power and power over our democratic process. They censor what content users get to see and what users can write for political reasons. They are controlled by and for foreign powers. I don't see how society can move forward without dealing with the big T problem now.
Censorship and propaganda aren't primarily antitrust issues. They're First Amendment, tort, and Section 230 issues.
First Amendment issues are hardly specific to tech companies. We have partisan media conglomerates, news outlets, academic institutions, event companies, foundations, religious organizations, and so on. All of those affect the political process. Few are shocked by that notion.
If you want a political explanation for the wave of antitrust suits, you could just as easily look to the side bringing the suits---repeatedly, a bunch of Republic attorneys general---as to the companies on the receiving end. I happen to be very sympathetic to unrolling the Chicago School ideological grip over competition law. And I wouldn't be surprised to see some interesting settlements come out of these suits. But it's not hard to make a case that violations of these laws are widespread, not just in tech, but that the choice of who to pursue in the current moment largely comes down to partisanship.
> They are controlled by and for foreign powers.
Not sure what you're on about. Last I looked, these are public companies. Their top stockholders are founders and investment firms.
It was apparently off limits to discuss how the family of one presidential candidate made so much money overseas for doing so little, and might this have something to do with how a member of that family perceives policy?
If the [redacted] government offers $10 million in “forgivable” loans to a family, might they be expecting to recoup that “investment” in some way?
Nope, nothing to see here, move along citizens. Ignorance is strength.
Yeah, the list of plaintiffs definitely has an axe to grind.
And hey, how about those voting machines, while we’re at it? A solution in search of a problem.
Perhaps governments around the world looked at what's been happening politically in the US this year, and said "We need to turn down the gain on those huge echo chambers."
Further, does anyone else find it odd that most of the states leading this antitrust suit are all Republican-led?
The claims in this suit are damning and non-partisan.
Had Big Tech not angered conservatives, they probably would've continued looking the other way. And the Democratic states/politicians are still looking the other way about this issue. (Don't forget that most of these companies support Democrat politicians.)
Seems we may only get justice because Big Tech angered the wrong people at the wrong time, not because their actions finally reached a threshold of wrongdoing.
Not really, this signals -- or maybe reminds -- other companies that it's fine to be a monopoly as long as your politics align with the preferences of the GOP.
Does anyone else find it odd that after years and years all of this stuff seems to be happening at once?