Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin Wants Justice Department To Scrutinize Big Tech (cnbc.com)
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin on Monday joined the growing chorus of government officials concerned about tech monopolies. From a report: When asked if Google is a monopoly, Mnuchin said, "These are issues that the Justice Department needs to look at seriously -- not for any one company -- but obviously as these technology companies have a greater and greater impact on the economy, I think that you have to look at the power they have," Mnuchin told CNBC's "Squawk Box." Mnuchin acknowledged that antitrust matters don't fall under his jurisdiction, but said someone ought to be looking. His comments come on the heels of a "60 Minutes" segment on Google's unparalleled market share in online search. The Sunday night spot included an interview with Jeremy Stoppelman, co-founder of Yelp, which he said "would have no shot" if it were being built today.
Remember when Microsoft was the ULTIMATE EVIL in the known universe because you had to download Netscape manually on Windows?
But remember, Google tracking your every move is fine because their leadership is considered to be "woke".
AntiFA: An abbreviation for Anti First Amendment.
We need a viable alternative to android/ios, webkit/edge/gecko amd/intel, nvidia/amd, systemd and a lot more.
News like this just makes me assume someone in the Administration is afraid of too many news stories and wants to be able to censor them.
Before Trump I at least looked for some explanation or rational reason. But it is all ruined. Every person in a position of power is corrupt and afraid of truth.
And while fake news is a problem, is rather have that and truth than lose both. While monopolies can guide or promote an agenda I'd rather be able to read reporting on that influence than have neither. Such a shame to have ruined giving the government at least a chance to explain itself. Now I just don't trust the explanation, before I even hear it.
skew things closer to reality, using "big data" and objective machine-learning algorithms.
Where are we going and why are we in a handbasket?
Big tech has more power and control than standard oil or AT&T ever did. They aren’t afraid to use it and have no qualms about abusing their power.
In other words Moscow Donald, the infamous traitor who is a whiney little bitch is afraid of the truth.. sad.
Big Tech is no better than Big Oil or Big Pharmaceutical.
I hate fat people.
Is it possible that technology may eventually result in reduction in redundancies because a product or service becomes so good that there are no other reasonable options, or the rise of Duopolies where are are only really two options? Look at Linux? If it didn't' have the price advantage of being free, would people use it? to what extent? Enterprise only? Small to Medium Businesses? Casual Users? The answer I believe to that is no. Google, Facebook, And many of the other online presences offer services for free, that other people won't charge for it or it's a rarity when it does happen. People already have enough on their plate for regular bills. Free as in $0 is the standard by which everything is set now. The question is now who does Free the best? What is the cost of free? Everything about you is up for grabs as information is worth something to somebody.
And here I thought that separation of powers meant that people from the Executive should shut the fuck up about stuff concerning the way Justice conducts its business.
that cause a single winner in each info-technology niche.
It's that one company executes better, and then the network effect kicks in, as that company collects more customers (who prefer it) and then gets the value of the collective interactions of and data from all those customers.
For consumers, often it's the case that having the search knowledge or the social network spread among different providers / applications just makes like more complicated for them, and reduces the simplicity and value proposition somewhat.
So is "free and fair" competition allowed to produce a clear winner, which people then definitely prefer, or is it not? What are the benefits and pitfalls of breaking up such a natural monopoly?
Where are we going and why are we in a handbasket?
The drumbeat to investigate Google and Facebook started long before Trump. In fact the current push is primarily a response to Trump winning, in part because he was able to use Facebook analytics as effectively as Obama...
And because they helped Trump, even if inadvertently, Google and Facebook must pay. Or so goes the mantra of the day.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I'm a progressive -- I also think that Big Tech knows too much and is often in bed with government/TLAs.
Anything that destroys this cozy relationship and causes friction is good in my book.
We should also scrutinize government agencies and political offices while we're at it.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
What? All your phoney misdirection doesn't change the fact that Donald Trump Jr and Silent Jared, and Paul "House Arrest" Manafort all had a meeting with a self-identified Russian government lawyer about Russia's assistance to the Trump campaign.
It doesn't make up for decades of Russian money laundering followed by complete subservience to Vladimir Putin, whose Russian mafia pals kept Trump afloat financially.
No matter how Trump's Treason Team waves their arms, they have been caught red handed committing treason, which isn't just illegal.. it's wrong.
It sounds like you are an anarchist or perhaps a nihilist.
Trump the Traitor and his goons can go scrutinize President Obama and his big black cock.
Or perhaps just really uneducated.
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin on Monday joined the growing chorus of government officials concerned about tech monopolies.
How about the Treasury Secretary worry about banks that are a proven risk to the financial system first? The tech companies didn't cause a global recession within the last 10 years or require massive government bailouts or cheat people out of their homes and savings.
In just the past week, Trump has turned Democrats into the party that defends MS-13 and Hamas.
I think you meant, "Trump WINNING", because maneuvering your political opponents into defending MS-13 and Hamas is pretty close to objectively obliterating your opponent in any political mud fight.
The Sunday night spot included an interview with Jeremy Stoppelman, co-founder of Yelp, which he said "would have no shot" if it were being built today.
We lived with Yellow Pages in the phone book for a hundred years, most of which was monopoly -- mandated at that -- for local and long distance together.
So..."So?"
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
The uranium never left the US, so you are just spreading misinformation for a known traitor.
Congratulations on betraying your country, you fucking turncoat.
Trump will die in prison a traitor either way
While big financial companies work to weaken regulation on their industry in order to facilitate fraud, abuse, and malfeasance this Treasury Secretary is making statements of concern about bad actors in non-financial industries.
Keep mudering dem childrens USA. You #1!
He seems to have no problem allowing Sprint and T-Mobile to merge, weakening what little competition there is among the wireless providers.
Yeah, but there's a good chance they'll cause the next one.
Oh I've got to hear this story. How exactly do you figure the big tech companies are going to throw the world into recession requiring massive bailouts and forcing people out of their homes? Be specific on the causal mechanism.
Amazing how Canada has none of the overrepresentation of minorities in jail you USAsians you except their Native Indians.
Black people were also never slaves in Canada.. but go on being a racist twit, it makes you very appealling and likable.
No way anyone could see through that Boris! A shiney ruble for you..
You partisans are pathetic and the death of your country. BIGLY.
But you keep on telling us... again and again!
Were this a different administration, I'd be supportive of the move. In this case I'm quite skeptical about their motives and what they are really trying to accomplish. But breaking up an abusive monopoly is not over-reach. I just really doubt that that's what they'd be after.
I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
Can we replace him with someone taller please? He can't be trusted to make big boy decisions.
Support your local school shooter, give them your firearms.
They don't want these companies to have less influence.
They just want more influence over these companies.
In fact, they want the companies to have more influence. They want to force them to use encryption that they can break. They've tried it before, and here they are trying it again.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Wrong. Canada, like the United States, has three times as many blacks in prison as their share of the population. Stats for aboriginals are even worse!
https://torontoist.com/2016/04/african-canadian-prison-population/
Wow, pretty disingenuous of a guy running a company whose business model is to extort small businesses whining about Google's potential for abuse of power.
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Here is an idea, why don't you worry about your own country and its problems or do you live in a perfect uptopia?
Go get laid already.
-Geekpoet
Microsoft was the target of an antitrust action in the late 90s / early 2000s. Then they ramped up their lobbying spending. The problem went away. Mnuchin is just looking to shake the money tree.
I'm sure he does. Note how the story begins, "When asked if Google is a monopoly, Mnuchin said, "These are issues that the Justice Department needs to look at seriously...". It then confirms that he knows this is not under his jurisdiction. But there's no reason for him not to have a general opinion, and be suitably suspicious of these companies. As most of us here are....
Wow, so many foreign ACs trying to manipulate us here. Let me remind you, it was Obama who told Romney that the 80s were calling and wanted their foreign policy back when he (rightfully) pointed to Russia as a threat. It was also Obama who was caught on an open mic telling Medvedev that he'd be able to help more after he was reelected. You weren't screaming "treason" back then, were you!?! Or, maybe you did when classified data was found on the private email server of HRC? And, don't even pretend to believe she didn't know it was classified...everyone has ever touched classified knows she did.
Now sure, the Trump campaign clearly met with Russians to get dirt on HRC. And clearly, the DNC paid to get a dossier on Trump. Who gives a fuck where the data came from...only those who can't stand the people on the other side. So, maybe instead of listening to the dog whistles on Fox and MSNBC (I hate them equally) for once, we could start focusing more on what's right for the nation.
Just another day in Paradise
This gives Mnuchin brownie points with Big Giant Orange Head. It reinforces BGOH's attack on Amazon.
Weirdly of course, BGOH is deeply reliant upon tech companies, especially Twitter. However contradictions are something of a BGOH specialty; there's little about his life or policies that ever looks like consistency.
I mean, here's a guy who seems to like marriage, just not the women he gets married to. He "loves women" yet he disrespects them by grabbing pussy, walking in on beauty show contestants, and all the rest. He cheats on his wives all the time and yet still seems to have something approaching a stable family life. What is consistent in any of that?
if you self declare as a "progressive" you are a fucking moron. groupthinking sheeple useful idiot = progressive.
go fuck yourself and get an original thought.