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Tech Giants, Once Seen as Saviors, Are Now Viewed as Threats

posted by martyb on Saturday October 14 2017, @12:34PM   Printer-friendly
from the follow-the-money dept.

Phoenix666 writes:

[...] tech companies are under fire for creating problems instead of solving them. At the top of the list is Russian interference in last year's presidential election. Social media might have originally promised liberation, but it proved an even more useful tool for stoking anger. The manipulation was so efficient and so lacking in transparency that the companies themselves barely noticed it was happening.

The election is far from the only area of concern. Tech companies have accrued a tremendous amount of power and influence. Amazon determines how people shop, Google how they acquire knowledge, Facebook how they communicate. All of them are making decisions about who gets a digital megaphone and who should be unplugged from the web.

Their amount of concentrated authority resembles the divine right of kings, and is sparking a backlash that is still gathering force.

Is it that the tech companies are creating problems for society as a whole, or merely disrupting the status quo for the old Powers-That-Be?

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  • (Score: 2) by unauthorized on Sunday October 15 2017, @05:09AM (1 child)

    by unauthorized (3776) on Sunday October 15 2017, @05:09AM (#582531)

    Money concentration doesn't concern me. Power over communication methods that can critically influence our culture does. Yes, Facebook/Twitter/etc... are not essential to life. They are extremely culturally significant at this point in time though.

    "I'm not concerned about how we got into this situation, I'm only interested in not being into this situation." - TMB, 2017

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  • (Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Sunday October 15 2017, @11:18AM

    by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Sunday October 15 2017, @11:18AM (#582603) Homepage Journal

    You really, really have zero understanding of the nature of power or how to use it. I suggest reading some Machiavelli and Sun Tzu. Understanding them won't make you an expert but it will make you sound less foolish at least.

    --
    My rights don't end where your fear begins.