Biden launches action on "Big Tech, Big Pharma, and Big Ag" – can it be real? • Hacker News Board

Re: Biden launches action on "Big Tech, Big Pharma, and Big Ag" – can it be real?

#121

Post by qeternity » Sun, Jul 11, 2021, 8:05 PM UTC

Mountain_Skies wrote: post #46

qeternity wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And to put the nail in big tech's coffin, congress should pass a law forbidding the sharing of any personal information on any resident of the US for any commercial reason whatsoever. At this point, a huge number (majority?) of Facebook et al users know what Facebook are doing. They value their own data less than Facebook do and are happy to trade it in return for free social media service. You may not like it, but…

Facebook shares lots of data about people who have never signed up for a Facebook account. Everyone is a Facebook "user" whether they want to be or not.

Well, I guess this makes sense because you can be a Facebook user without an account…

Re: Biden launches action on "Big Tech, Big Pharma, and Big Ag" – can it be real?

#122

Post by wormslayer666 » Sun, Jul 11, 2021, 8:08 PM UTC

Direct link to the executive order (it's in the article, but might as well put here):

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-action...

Re: Biden launches action on "Big Tech, Big Pharma, and Big Ag" – can it be real?

#123

Post by worik » Sun, Jul 11, 2021, 8:10 PM UTC

dkdk8283 wrote: post #27

FractalHQ wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hope it’s real. We need modern anti trust laws, big tech is out of control. You’re right though.. sadly. Most importantly, we need to get money out of politics to free our government from the grips of these corporate conglomerates.

We must free ourselves from censorship.

Clearly you are suffering a lot from censorship...

Re: Biden launches action on "Big Tech, Big Pharma, and Big Ag" – can it be real?

#124

Post by heavyset_go » Sun, Jul 11, 2021, 8:12 PM UTC

arrosenberg wrote: post #111

colordrops wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Big Ag is responsible for horrible factory farming practices growing the wrong crops and producing food lacking nutrients while destroying the environment and torturing animals. They take huge subsidies and use them to support these unsustainable practices.

Not to mention the fragile state of supply chains for food, the food deserts, absurd water usage.

The fact that one of the largest famines in the Western world as of late was caused by an economic system that led to people relying on monoculture crops to feed themselves[1], the fact that ours results in monocultures, as well, should be worrying.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Famine_(Ireland)#Causes_...

Re: Biden launches action on "Big Tech, Big Pharma, and Big Ag" – can it be real?

#125

Post by worik » Sun, Jul 11, 2021, 8:13 PM UTC

s1artibartfast wrote: post #116

colordrops wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Big Ag is responsible for horrible factory farming practices growing the wrong crops and producing food lacking nutrients while destroying the environment and torturing animals. They take huge subsidies and use them to support these unsustainable practices.

What part of that is big ag, opposed to ag in general. I don't see the difference on those topics personally.

Economies of scale, when viewed from the perspective of a cattle beast in a feed lot are a horrible thing in agriculture.

Modern industrial agriculture with its expensive inputs, ruination of land, and abuse of live stock is a quite horrifying thing and is impoverishing the people responsible for the base of our food supply.

It is the most efficient in terms of output per input, but not by most other measures.

Re: Biden launches action on "Big Tech, Big Pharma, and Big Ag" – can it be real?

#126

Post by [deleted] » Sun, Jul 11, 2021, 8:14 PM UTC

throwawayswede wrote: post #120

pjc50 wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Evidence? Also, motivation?

One of the principles of public health is that you can't just look at one disease isolated, you have to look at public health as a whole. With lockdowns there's been a lot of collateral public health damages: Cancer treatments and scanning that were not provided, worse cardiovascular disease outcomes, diabetes not being properly taken care of, tragic mental health situation, education of kids going to school, and oth…

[deleted]

Re: Biden launches action on "Big Tech, Big Pharma, and Big Ag" – can it be real?

#127

Post by [deleted] » Sun, Jul 11, 2021, 8:15 PM UTC

throwawayboise wrote: post #28

"Hearing aids cost thousands of dollars apiece, for no other reason than there is a cartel established by government that prevents firms from selling hearing aids without a prescription." An example of how many (most?) monopolies are able to exist because of some sort of legal authorization or protection. Regulatory capture. There are dozens of companies who would no doubt start making inexpensive hearing aids tomorr…

[deleted]

Re: Biden launches action on "Big Tech, Big Pharma, and Big Ag" – can it be real?

#128

Post by stevetodd » Sun, Jul 11, 2021, 8:19 PM UTC

disgruntledphd2 wrote: post #114

8ytecoder wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That assumption doesn’t go well with what we saw in the case of Instagram and then Snapchat. Both took significant share out of Facebook but Facebook was able to buy Instagram and copy Snapchat to retain its monopoly. The Instagram acquisition shouldn’t have been possible is what the parent seems to be alluding to.

Instagram had 10mn users and a one week old Android app at the time it was acquired. Their ad system was pretty much ported from FB, one assumes, and their ads were sold by FB reps as part of a package. I honestly don't know if they would have made it independently (and we'll never know, I guess). The snapchat thing was different. Snap had a policy of focusing on iOS, while FB, IG and Whatsapp (all of which cloned th…

> I personally think Snapchat shot themselves in the foot with bad product strategy.

Seems to have worked out poorly for them.

Re: Biden launches action on "Big Tech, Big Pharma, and Big Ag" – can it be real?

#129

Post by throwawayboise » Sun, Jul 11, 2021, 8:19 PM UTC

tomc1985 wrote: post #104

alisonkisk wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hearing is not required to safely operate a vehicle. And why wouldn't someone be able to sue successfully?

What? Driving with headphones is forbidden where I am. And at minimum you need to be able to hear a carhorn.

Are deaf people forbidden to drive where you are?

Re: Biden launches action on "Big Tech, Big Pharma, and Big Ag" – can it be real?

#130

Post by Notanothertoo » Sun, Jul 11, 2021, 8:21 PM UTC

akira2501 wrote: post #65

giantg2 wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"monopolies are able to exist because of some sort of legal authorization or protection" The entire point of patents...

> The entire point of patents... Well, if that were so, you would expect them to be secret and to never expire. The fact that are published and expire after a relatively short period belies the simplicity of that statement.

Ever greening patents is standard practice today. This is why insulin is so expensive. Another good example is Disney's bs. They have kept thinks out of public domain for over a hundred years.. The 20 years thing is for the little guy, if he can ever afford the 50k patent and legal fees in the first place.