Big tech break up: Are Silicon Valley companies too big? | IN 60 SECONDS

Some world leaders, including Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump, have had America's big tech companies in their cross hairs. Should the giants of Silicon Valley be broken up? AEI visiting scholar Mark Jamison says no, and explains why.

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[KlausWulfenbach]

It's not the size of the company itself, nor the amount of money they make. It's the influence they wield. If they're being protected from certain kinds of regulation and litigation because they are supposed to be public forums, then they're not supposed to be trying to influence public opinion themselves. They shouldn't have terms of service other than "don't do anything that's illegal in your country". Trying to enforce their own rules on their users undermines the reason why they began with immunity to the aforementioned regulation and litigation in the first place. They want to make up their own rules but don't want to play by the same rules as everyone else.

That's why the slickest cheaters need to be broken up. Not all of them. Not because they're "too successful" or any other idealist nonsense. Simply because they shouldn't continue to be allowed to be exceptions to the rules.

[vindictii]

You know tech companies are too big when they're able to persuade AEI to produce propaganda for them. Great demonstration AEI!

[MasterMind-fmcd]

I don't really think you understand why people don't like companies that are so big so I'll try to lay out some problems that me and many others have with the size of big tech companies.
- Firstly when we are talking about the financial aspect, these companies barely pay any taxes at all as they are on the mostly based online and as there are countless loopholes in many countries that big tech companies are keen on exploiting (this goes for other large companies like Starbucks too tbh) they pay almost no taxes.
- Secondly, Large tech companies have huge amounts of data and they are keeping track on as much as possible. Sure they can use some of this data to make it a better service and while we understand that ad revenues for services like Google are necessary to pay the upkeep costs, there is little care for the privacy and protection of this data. I can make whole lists of data scandals if you want? Furthermore, with just the search engine queries of 1 person, u can pretty much piece together in what street they are living. Facebook has been collecting data and selling data even on people who do not have facebook. Is it okay if someone talks to all your friends about you and then sells all the information the have received about you to others?
- Thirdly, these companies are incredibly powerful. While they are currently in the progress of removing 'fake news' from the internet, one could argue that if they control the media they can push whatever narrative they want. Facebook illegally selling certain data? Fake news! If these services become integrated into every system, google, youtube, Android that people use in daily society it is hard to say 'well just don't use any of these services' because it is hard if half of your society becomes disconnected because they all use those services. Facebook has better facial recognition software (not used on Facebook itself) than the human eye and can identify people even without faces using lots of other data. Google is working on censorship AI to make the internet a 'nicer place'. But using self-learning AI this can, of course, be used to censor dissent. We have seen companies paying Google to move other searches to later pages so they remain mostly unseen. Google tried to favor Hillary Clinton in the election by filtering results to make her look better (not that I give a shit about who wins the election it's the effect that they can have that is the problem). Facebook censored german anti-immigrant posts and while I think those people are either misinformed or might be actual racists, I think this opposes free speech.
- Fourthly, Monopolies. So here is the problem when you have billion dollar tech companies. One competing against something that controls most systems is almost impossible. Two there have been many cases of these companies either buying up a new company that may or may not be a thread (less competition, more monopoly) or going into legal battles to destroy opponents.

So while your video is like ' hey these companies are big and rich but also very useful' I think ur missing almost EVERY serious critique launched against big tech.

[lukezuzga]

Mark Jamison, I think we need to look at tech companies not only from a financial aspect but a social one as well. More over, are big tech companies destroying are social and moral fabric? My guess is, yes. I walk into countless once social places and see the only communication on mobile phones and very little live human action.

[ClockWorkGoneWrong]

Defining “too big” by financial and user-base parameters is AEI missing the point. Tech companies are “too big” because of the data they wield and influence they have. Add the social aspect and you ll give some proper insight

[leeboss]

Yes but not sure how breaking up FB would work. they are a monopoly so need regulating. If they own other companies they should be separated. Like google and you tube and they shouldn't be allowed to buy up the competition.