Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Judge approves Facebook's settlement with FTC over ‘stunning’ privacy violations

lawandcrime.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 82 posts

Re: Judge approves Facebook's settlement with FTC over ‘stunning’ privacy violations

#11

Post by nimbius »

tsherr wrote: post #6

If you want corporations like Facebook to care about breaking the law, you need start handing out jail time for the CEOs. Fining a significant percentage of revenue might work, but they'd probably cook the books.

the best two things that can happen in my opinion (based on a book called 'the chickenshit club') are

0. make corporations admit wrongdoing. almsot every one of them that gets out of a protracted settlement like this without having to own any responsibility at the corporate level for this. They can take the fine. They cannot take the risk to their business and loss of reputation in the market.

1. Stop offering settlements and start prosecuting. Chain up their C levels, withhold bail, deny parole and do not under any circumstances allow the argument of 'hurting the market' sway you. Do the same thing you do to street criminals: freeze their assets and punish companies doling out golden parachutes (AKA bankrolled hush money.) Yes this means you wont always have a perfect record as a prosecutor, yes this means you wont get your shiny DC penthouse after you 'retire' from government life with a law firm in the beltway. and yes it means youll do real work.

Re: Judge approves Facebook's settlement with FTC over ‘stunning’ privacy violations

#12

Post by Gibbon1 »

tsherr wrote: post #6

If you want corporations like Facebook to care about breaking the law, you need start handing out jail time for the CEOs. Fining a significant percentage of revenue might work, but they'd probably cook the books.

Reminds me years ago I stumbled on an essay by Richard Posner ex Chief Justice of the 7th Circuit. In it he discussed his belief that.

a) The only way to keep poor people in line is the threat of prison.

b) Middle class people can be kept in line by the threat of fines.

c) However the wealthy are kept in line by the threat of losing their good reputation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Posner

Re: Judge approves Facebook's settlement with FTC over ‘stunning’ privacy violations

#13

Post by hatenberg »

Gibbon1 wrote: post #12
tsherr wrote: post #6

If you want corporations like Facebook to care about breaking the law, you need start handing out jail time for the CEOs. Fining a significant percentage of revenue might work, but they'd probably cook the books.

Reminds me years ago I stumbled on an essay by Richard Posner ex Chief Justice of the 7th Circuit. In it he discussed his belief that. a) The only way to keep poor people in line is the threat of prison. b) Middle class people can be kept in line by the threat of fines. c) However the wealthy are kept in line by the threat of losing their good reputation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Posner

C Totally doesn't scale in the age of Trump and Moscow Mitch

Re: Judge approves Facebook's settlement with FTC over ‘stunning’ privacy violations

#14

Post by ta1234567890 »

Gibbon1 wrote: post #12
tsherr wrote: post #6

If you want corporations like Facebook to care about breaking the law, you need start handing out jail time for the CEOs. Fining a significant percentage of revenue might work, but they'd probably cook the books.

Reminds me years ago I stumbled on an essay by Richard Posner ex Chief Justice of the 7th Circuit. In it he discussed his belief that. a) The only way to keep poor people in line is the threat of prison. b) Middle class people can be kept in line by the threat of fines. c) However the wealthy are kept in line by the threat of losing their good reputation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Posner

From that list/summary it almost sounds like he's trying to protect the rich by saying that the typical forms of "keeping people in line", don't work with the wealthy.

Maybe he should have been more sincere by explaining how the wealthy can buy or trade their way out of trouble, by unduly (or at least unfairly) influencing the legal system to their advantage.

Re: Judge approves Facebook's settlement with FTC over ‘stunning’ privacy violations

#15

Post by ta1234567890 »

antjanus wrote: post #5

it's frustrating. 5 billion for a fine over the course of 8 years of operation? They made $17 billion this quarter .

Agreed. That's as if someone who makes $100k/year, and made that money while operating for 8 years doing something illegal, then was ordered to pay a fine of $900 and told not to do it again or else.

Re: Judge approves Facebook's settlement with FTC over ‘stunning’ privacy violations

#16

Post by mattmanser »

nimbius wrote: post #11
tsherr wrote: post #6

If you want corporations like Facebook to care about breaking the law, you need start handing out jail time for the CEOs. Fining a significant percentage of revenue might work, but they'd probably cook the books.

the best two things that can happen in my opinion (based on a book called 'the chickenshit club') are 0. make corporations admit wrongdoing. almsot every one of them that gets out of a protracted settlement like this without having to own any responsibility at the corporate level for this. They can take the fine. They cannot take the risk to their business and loss of reputation in the market. 1. Stop offering settle…

The reason you don't have crazy nonsense like this is that it would be a field-day for political persecution. Prefect for corruption.

A politician with clout doesn't like what some CEO said, or that he bankrolled your opponent?

Destroy their business by setting the prosecutors on them, jail their CEO, destroy their business by seizing the cashflow, and then 2 years down the line, charges dropped. Whoops.

Re: Judge approves Facebook's settlement with FTC over ‘stunning’ privacy violations

#17

Post by 1121redblackgo »

hatenberg wrote: post #13
Gibbon1 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Reminds me years ago I stumbled on an essay by Richard Posner ex Chief Justice of the 7th Circuit. In it he discussed his belief that. a) The only way to keep poor people in line is the threat of prison. b) Middle class people can be kept in line by the threat of fines. c) However the wealthy are kept in line by the threat of losing their good reputation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Posner

C Totally doesn't scale in the age of Trump and Moscow Mitch

Let's not take the conversation down this direction please.

Re: Judge approves Facebook's settlement with FTC over ‘stunning’ privacy violations

#18

Post by ceejayoz »

Gibbon1 wrote: post #12
tsherr wrote: post #6

If you want corporations like Facebook to care about breaking the law, you need start handing out jail time for the CEOs. Fining a significant percentage of revenue might work, but they'd probably cook the books.

Reminds me years ago I stumbled on an essay by Richard Posner ex Chief Justice of the 7th Circuit. In it he discussed his belief that. a) The only way to keep poor people in line is the threat of prison. b) Middle class people can be kept in line by the threat of fines. c) However the wealthy are kept in line by the threat of losing their good reputation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Posner

This is why some countries do income-based fines. Get a speeding ticket in some Scandinavian countries and you may be on the hook for six figures if you’re rich.

Re: Judge approves Facebook's settlement with FTC over ‘stunning’ privacy violations

#20

Post by bitcharmer »

mattmanser wrote: post #16
nimbius wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

the best two things that can happen in my opinion (based on a book called 'the chickenshit club') are 0. make corporations admit wrongdoing. almsot every one of them that gets out of a protracted settlement like this without having to own any responsibility at the corporate level for this. They can take the fine. They cannot take the risk to their business and loss of reputation in the market. 1. Stop offering settle…

The reason you don't have crazy nonsense like this is that it would be a field-day for political persecution. Prefect for corruption. A politician with clout doesn't like what some CEO said, or that he bankrolled your opponent? Destroy their business by setting the prosecutors on them, jail their CEO, destroy their business by seizing the cashflow, and then 2 years down the line, charges dropped. Whoops.

So if making people responsible for what their companies do is, as you put it "crazy nonsense", what would you suggest instead?
Post reply on HN