It’s probably because Washington now sees social media as a threat to its own power. It’s good, but cynical old me doubts it’s for the right reasons.
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FTC Accuses Facebook of Social Media Monopoly, Calls for Divestiture of Instagram and WhatsApp
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nwcs
macrumors 68030
While I generally prefer the free market, there is a place for regulation and breaking up of monopolies. I support breaking up FB. And lest I be accused of only thinking of FB, I actually think Apple, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Amazon should be looked at very hard for being monopolies. Same with Verizon, Comcast, AT&T, etc. Too many companies have become far, far too large and it stifles competition.
JGIGS
macrumors 68000
Maybe Amazon should be on that list too?
katbel
macrumors 68040
If Facebook broke the law, great. If they didn't, the prosecutors need to convince the American people & judges that a law was broken or should be written to fight against whatever Facebook is doing wrong.
Stratechery's writing on 'aggregation theory' is relevant here. How can you have a monopoly when the web is open? I'm merely playing devil's advocate here but I deleted my Facebook account in 2012 (after joining in 2007). I could still call my parents, email my friends and send text messages. Facebook didn't have a monopoly on communication. I was an instagram user as well but stopped at the same time and I stopped using Twitter but the point is, just because Facebook buys every competitor doesn't make them a monopoly. the web is open and free, can't another company just come up and take over?
Stratechery's writing on 'aggregation theory' is relevant here. How can you have a monopoly when the web is open? I'm merely playing devil's advocate here but I deleted my Facebook account in 2012 (after joining in 2007). I could still call my parents, email my friends and send text messages. Facebook didn't have a monopoly on communication. I was an instagram user as well but stopped at the same time and I stopped using Twitter but the point is, just because Facebook buys every competitor doesn't make them a monopoly. the web is open and free, can't another company just come up and take over?
Analog Kid
macrumors G3
I abhor Facebook and everything they stand for, but I've got a hard time with throwing the "monopoly" word around even as it relates to FB. It's a website. The barrier to entry isn't massive. We've seen other social media companies come and go. Yeah, they have a lot of mind share, but so did MySpace in the day. Once the cool kids decide Zuck Sucks then FBs influence can fall off a cliff.
It took way too long for people to realize the privacy threat that Facebook posed, but now that people seemed to figure it out they're looking at the company and its products differently. I don't think they're as locked in as people might think.
At least in the US. I've heard things are different in some countries where FB has basically become the internet provider (Myanmar comes to mind). But that's not going to change because of anything the US DoJ does.
I dunno. I feel like "monopoly" has become like "socialism". People don't understand what it means or how it works, they just know that it's bad and so throw it at things they don't like. There have been very few monopoly cases against tech companies that look to be worth the effort in hindsight.
Facebook has only been a thing for what, 14 years? I think the Microsoft case took 14 years to prosecute. By the time this is done, the world is going to look completely different regardless of how this suit goes.
It took way too long for people to realize the privacy threat that Facebook posed, but now that people seemed to figure it out they're looking at the company and its products differently. I don't think they're as locked in as people might think.
At least in the US. I've heard things are different in some countries where FB has basically become the internet provider (Myanmar comes to mind). But that's not going to change because of anything the US DoJ does.
I dunno. I feel like "monopoly" has become like "socialism". People don't understand what it means or how it works, they just know that it's bad and so throw it at things they don't like. There have been very few monopoly cases against tech companies that look to be worth the effort in hindsight.
Facebook has only been a thing for what, 14 years? I think the Microsoft case took 14 years to prosecute. By the time this is done, the world is going to look completely different regardless of how this suit goes.
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The only folks on Facebook are the ones that WANT to be on Facebook. No one’s forced to be on Facebook. Separating WA and IG won’t change that as they STILL WANT TO BE ON FACEBOOK. 🙂
az431
Suspended
Social media and fake news sites are the only ways these clowns are able to perpetuate the false narrative of a rigged election.
If Facebook is smart they'd sell Facebook instead of Instagram. Facebook is dying and Instagram is thriving.
az431
Suspended
Google has already been sued. Not seeing how Microsoft or Apple are in violation of antitrust law. Please enlighten us.
Apple isn’t a monopoly. Of the two app stores, Apple is second . Of the phone manufacturers, Apple is 4th. Of the laptops, Apple is the 5th.
triangletechie
macrumors 65816
"For nearly a decade, Facebook has used its dominance and monopoly power to crush smaller rivals and snuff out competition"
Hasn't Amazon done the same thing?
Hasn't Amazon done the same thing?
ouimetnick
macrumors 68040
And Mark ****erBurg and Sheryl SandTurd need a swift kick in the teeth. 2 of the most rotten sneaky executives in Silicon Valley.
Mainyehc
macrumors 6502a
Finally. Sue their blue-and-white derrière until it becomes bluer, I say.
And yes, break it up, STAT. Ma Bell wasn't half as evil as these bastards and still got that treatment, so I don't see why they shouldn't.
And yes, break it up, STAT. Ma Bell wasn't half as evil as these bastards and still got that treatment, so I don't see why they shouldn't.
az431
Suspended
4 states. Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and South Dakota.
Only the following 46 joined:
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
itsmeaustend
Suspended
Completely different.
Mainyehc
macrumors 6502a
az431
Suspended
routine_analyst
macrumors 65816
Mainyehc
macrumors 6502a
Put Hawaii, Alaska and the territory of Guam in the “Contiguous” category, then, and chuck those four states outside of the map instead. 😛
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