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Facebook CEO speaks to select members of European Parliament

politico.eu

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Re: Facebook CEO speaks to select members of European Parliament

#31

Post by bogomipz »

cJ0th wrote: post #19
DavideNL wrote: post #4

The hearing was a big joke. Zuckerberg simply avoided answering difficult questions by talking about something else entirely...

It was frustrating to not get any answers. But actually that tells us everything we need to know.

I think you make a good point. I think many people came to the same conclusion after he testified before the Senate in the US. I think it's it quite damaging to dissemble the way he does by moving his mouth without ever answering the question that was asked. And to do this for hour after hour an even in response to simple "yes" or "no" questions is nothing short of a farce.

I have to wonder what his employees back in Menlo Park think when they watch their CEO shoveling such obvious bullshit.

Re: Facebook CEO speaks to select members of European Parliament

#32

Post by cpeterso »

bogomipz wrote: post #25
GreeniFi wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What did I deduce from today’s hearing: 1. The weird question/answer format was probably a negotiated condition of Zuckerberg appearing. 2. This underlines the power of Zuckerberg: setting conditions for the EU Parliament is quite a show of force. 3. This condition was probably set because Zuckerberg is a very poor spokesperson. The end of the session was quite frankly bizarre when Zuckerberg refused to take question…

>"The US will be keen to protect homegrown global monopolies." I don't believe the US will be "keen" to protect FB if that's in fact what you are stating here. There is just as much concern about FB in the US as there is in the EU, even if the political will to act might be blunted in the US by lobbyists and money. I would argue that FB isn't a "US monopoly" per se but a global monopoly.

I doubt many US politicians or citizens are concerned enough about Facebook to take any meaningful action. A bill like the EU's GDPR would not even get a vote in the US congress.

Re: Facebook CEO speaks to select members of European Parliament

#33

Post by majewsky »

bachbach wrote: post #17
jedberg wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It all has to do with education. Educated people are naturally more skeptical of their media and what the sources are. Before social media, it was admitted a lot harder for unreliable sources to get an audience, so that skepticism was less critical. But I think it will come back. Education is the antidote to social media news. Deity willing, the next government will see that and push for better education.

> Educated people are naturally more skeptical of their media and what the sources are. I have not found that to be the case and I think you should scrutinize that assumption very carefully. Perhaps a majority of intellectuals in the West thought the Soviet Union was a step forward - again and again it's the 'smart' people who get the big things wrong.

> Perhaps a majority of intellectuals in the West thought the Soviet Union was a step forward

I wasn't there at the time, so I have no way of knowing, but this smells like hindsight bias.

Re: Facebook CEO speaks to select members of European Parliament

#34

Post by make3 »

QueensGambit wrote: post #3

I have a controversial view, correct me if I am wrong. I think democracy has a major flaw, because, most people are selfish/unfair and most likely vote for populist leaders. But, it has been so far saved by media because of the elitist journalists who want the world to be a fair place and were able to convince people to reject populist leaders. With social media, these journalists are bypassed and the populist leader…

people don't vote for populists because they are selfish, they do so because they are uneducated or feel abandoned by the other options

Re: Facebook CEO speaks to select members of European Parliament

#35

Post by bogomipz »

cpeterso wrote: post #32
bogomipz wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>"The US will be keen to protect homegrown global monopolies." I don't believe the US will be "keen" to protect FB if that's in fact what you are stating here. There is just as much concern about FB in the US as there is in the EU, even if the political will to act might be blunted in the US by lobbyists and money. I would argue that FB isn't a "US monopoly" per se but a global monopoly.

I doubt many US politicians or citizens are concerned enough about Facebook to take any meaningful action. A bill like the EU's GDPR would not even get a vote in the US congress.

>"I doubt many US politicians or citizens are concerned enough about Facebook to take any meaningful action."

You might want to re-read my comment where I say there is no political will on account of lobbying and money.

US Citizens are just as concerned as EU citizens about FB. Especially given FB's role in the last US Presidential elections.

What is your justification for asserting that US citizens are not as concerned as EU citizens?

Re: Facebook CEO speaks to select members of European Parliament

#36

Post by Nomentatus »

cpeterso wrote: post #32
bogomipz wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>"The US will be keen to protect homegrown global monopolies." I don't believe the US will be "keen" to protect FB if that's in fact what you are stating here. There is just as much concern about FB in the US as there is in the EU, even if the political will to act might be blunted in the US by lobbyists and money. I would argue that FB isn't a "US monopoly" per se but a global monopoly.

I doubt many US politicians or citizens are concerned enough about Facebook to take any meaningful action. A bill like the EU's GDPR would not even get a vote in the US congress.

Gerrymandering creates the impression US citizens don't care as much - in fact, they've been cut out of the loop. You're definitely right about the majority of U.S. politicians, their gerrymandered districts are safe; they need only worry about donors' interests.

Re: Facebook CEO speaks to select members of European Parliament

#37

Post by rjsw »

bogomipz wrote: post #31
cJ0th wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was frustrating to not get any answers. But actually that tells us everything we need to know.

I think you make a good point. I think many people came to the same conclusion after he testified before the Senate in the US. I think it's it quite damaging to dissemble the way he does by moving his mouth without ever answering the question that was asked. And to do this for hour after hour an even in response to simple "yes" or "no" questions is nothing short of a farce. I have to wonder what his employees back in…

People do keep wondering whether he will run for an elected office, he is just getting in some practice first.

Re: Facebook CEO speaks to select members of European Parliament

#38

Post by ianai »

zerostar07 wrote: post #18
GreeniFi wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What did I deduce from today’s hearing: 1. The weird question/answer format was probably a negotiated condition of Zuckerberg appearing. 2. This underlines the power of Zuckerberg: setting conditions for the EU Parliament is quite a show of force. 3. This condition was probably set because Zuckerberg is a very poor spokesperson. The end of the session was quite frankly bizarre when Zuckerberg refused to take question…

How can the EU break up foreign monopolies?

There are no sovereign companies. For instance, the NY financial regulations matter so much across the world because a large portion of the financial world’s business is headquartered there. But more so, governments set legal standards. If those standards are not met then products/services are outlawed. I’m pretty sure the EU could simply ban browsing to IPs associated with FB, as an example. I think the largest companies of the world want to believe they operate in some atmosphere above any individual government. But that’s not the case. They operate under the jurisdiction of at least all of the worlds largest governments, contemporaneously.

Re: Facebook CEO speaks to select members of European Parliament

#39

Post by netsharc »

stingraycharles wrote: post #30
Hasknewbie wrote: post #6

One more prestigious date to add to the 14-years long (and counting) "Zuckerberg Magic Apology Tour". Quite the show. (For reference: https://www.wired.com/story/why-zuckerberg-15-year-apology-t... )

I liked how Guy Verhofstadt called him out on that, that he has apologised 15 or 16 times in the past years. I’m annoyed that I cannot vote for the guy for EP elections because he lives in another country, one of the many weird things about EU politics, but this man deserves a medal.

If you read (and believe) Yanis Varoufakis' book "Adults in the Room", he's a part of the group of assholes who was determined to bend Greece to their will, mainly that "austerity will work!", never mind the economic squeeze means hungry, homeless people and the rise of suicides.

Currently I love how the EU is making the British Brexit team look like a bunch of clowns, but the EU is no saintly organization, the way they couldn't let go of austerity politics made a lot of people suffer, and has indeed lead to the rise of populism as well (the right wing in France, Germany, and populism in Italy).

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