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Have the Tech Giants Grown Too Powerful?

nytimes.com

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Re: Have the Tech Giants Grown Too Powerful?

#11

Post by peterlk »

ronnier wrote: post #3

I'm OK with giant tech companies. America isn't the only place in the world and doesn't hold a monopoly on tech. If it's not American tech giants, it'll be Chinese or some other countries tech giants.

But these aren't American companies any more. They were founded in America, and there are lots of jobs created by them in America, and there's something to be said for both those things. But I think there's a larger issue here which is that sovereignty is being eroded by the consolidation of wealth and power. Companies move to Ireland to avoid taxes, set up warehousing shell companies in Nevada to avoid taxes, set up legal holding companies in Delaware so they can do whatever they want, file patents in Jamaica to claim precedence on things that others may have thought of, and I'm sure tons of other things that I'm not aware of.

Re: Have the Tech Giants Grown Too Powerful?

#12

Post by hexadecimal7e »

The problems with tech companies are not that they are big, but people follow them blindly.

These companies only work for making money and are not around to help people.

This other day a journalist asked a big computer game producing company why they are selling in-game stuff to kids (like Overwatch). They refused to answer. They are not around to help people.

A hospital in Tanzania was in dire need for an upgrade of there IT-system connecting a X-ray machine to doctors for image analysis. They had no budget. 2 helpful guys from Europe searched the Webb for free software. On there free time they built a system which they installed themselves. The big companies are not around to help people.

Re: Have the Tech Giants Grown Too Powerful?

#13

Post by acchow »

peterlk wrote: post #11
ronnier wrote: post #3

I'm OK with giant tech companies. America isn't the only place in the world and doesn't hold a monopoly on tech. If it's not American tech giants, it'll be Chinese or some other countries tech giants.

But these aren't American companies any more. They were founded in America, and there are lots of jobs created by them in America, and there's something to be said for both those things. But I think there's a larger issue here which is that sovereignty is being eroded by the consolidation of wealth and power. Companies move to Ireland to avoid taxes, set up warehousing shell companies in Nevada to avoid taxes, set up…

> file patents in Jamaica to claim precedence on things that others may have thought of

Can you explain how this works? Why would anyone care about Jamaican patents if they apparently don't play properly?

Re: Have the Tech Giants Grown Too Powerful?

#14

Post by wjnqx »

acchow wrote: post #13
peterlk wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But these aren't American companies any more. They were founded in America, and there are lots of jobs created by them in America, and there's something to be said for both those things. But I think there's a larger issue here which is that sovereignty is being eroded by the consolidation of wealth and power. Companies move to Ireland to avoid taxes, set up warehousing shell companies in Nevada to avoid taxes, set up…

> file patents in Jamaica to claim precedence on things that others may have thought of Can you explain how this works? Why would anyone care about Jamaican patents if they apparently don't play properly?

> "The tech giants are exploiting a US trademark-law provision that lets them effectively claim a trademark in secret."

Jamaica and some other countries don't maintain searchable databases, allowing companies to register trademarks abroad in secret and then point to those registrations when claiming the mark in the US.

Source: https://qz.com/808846/why-jamaica-knows-about-apples-new-pro...

Re: Have the Tech Giants Grown Too Powerful?

#16

Post by pimmen »

aalleavitch wrote: post #10

The problem isn’t that they’ve grown too powerful, it’s that they either haven’t recognized their own power or have willfully rejected the responsibility attached to it.

Basically this post.

The whole debacle around Cambridge Analytica and political ads on Facebook is basically the consumers saying; "Congratulations Facebook, you conquered news publishers by piggy backing my cousin's puppy pictures! Did you know I expect responsibility from publisher's? As in, when I see slanderous information slung around at near the speed of light, someone better take responsibility for it."

Re: Have the Tech Giants Grown Too Powerful?

#17

Post by paxys »

Corporations have been "too powerful" in this country since its inception. Public policy, culture, politics, style and all other aspects of daily life have all been constantly influenced or outright driven by conglomerates in media, banking, big oil, defense etc.

The only difference is that now tech, which had till recently been on the very fringe of this, is starting to upset the established order.

Re: Have the Tech Giants Grown Too Powerful?

#18

Post by mercer »

paxys wrote: post #17

Corporations have been "too powerful" in this country since its inception. Public policy, culture, politics, style and all other aspects of daily life have all been constantly influenced or outright driven by conglomerates in media, banking, big oil, defense etc. The only difference is that now tech, which had till recently been on the very fringe of this, is starting to upset the established order.

Upset or supplant?

Re: Have the Tech Giants Grown Too Powerful?

#19

Post by tomjen3 »

pimmen wrote: post #16
aalleavitch wrote: post #10

The problem isn’t that they’ve grown too powerful, it’s that they either haven’t recognized their own power or have willfully rejected the responsibility attached to it.

Basically this post. The whole debacle around Cambridge Analytica and political ads on Facebook is basically the consumers saying; "Congratulations Facebook, you conquered news publishers by piggy backing my cousin's puppy pictures! Did you know I expect responsibility from publisher's? As in, when I see slanderous information slung around at near the speed of light, someone better take responsibility for it."

Fine, Facebook would say, we don't care.

Re: Have the Tech Giants Grown Too Powerful?

#20

Post by matt4077 »

wjnqx wrote: post #14
acchow wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> file patents in Jamaica to claim precedence on things that others may have thought of Can you explain how this works? Why would anyone care about Jamaican patents if they apparently don't play properly?

> "The tech giants are exploiting a US trademark-law provision that lets them effectively claim a trademark in secret." Jamaica and some other countries don't maintain searchable databases, allowing companies to register trademarks abroad in secret and then point to those registrations when claiming the mark in the US. Source: https://qz.com/808846/why-jamaica-knows-about-apples-new-pro...

Patents != trademarks
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