Every Friday, I present a topic or question for our merry band of thinkers, leaders, and pirates to discuss in an open thread. Here is this week’s conversation starter:
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Why?
“Big Tech companies are as great of a threat to American privacy and freedom as is any hostile foreign nation.”
Big Tech is as dangerous a threat to privacy and freedom as any authoritarian government could be.
Our current predicament has Big Tech, along with academia, the mainstream media, and "woke" corporations, frequently works in coordination with the portions of State and Federal governments under the control of a particular political party (Democrats).
This situation is similar to that described by Benito Mussolini as "Corporatism".
Big Tech has technological capabilities to gather intelligence on individuals and organizations that the CIA, KGB, MI6, the Stasi, or the Gestapo could only dream of. When they work in coordination with one political party that controls half of the political power, together, they become the biggest threat to liberty that has ever existed in the history of the world.
Agree. Big Tech is not only collecting as much information as possible on every single American but is also actively censoring not only the President of the US, but even what news you hear or books you read. It is actively promoting its own political and cultural agenda. It is monitoring everything we write and cancels us when we say something they do not like. Reminds me of communist China.
If that's true, and it may be, it's a result of decisions we make as individuals. We can drain big tech of its power by refusing to behave as the materialistic, self-serving, dopamine-programmable bots that big tech would have us be. Is that beyond us?
Yes, privacy was lost years ago with so many transactions on line from banking to health care. The threat to our freedoms are as real as if we were in a real war.
The amount of wealth amassed by a few is staggering and their ability to use it to influence our elections is as dangerous as any enemy nation in the world. It’s obvious if you pay attention, it requires little research to know it. They control a huge amount of the media and now have assumed the power to censor speech right down to an individual level.
To win this war on our rights in my opinion it will require six primary objectives.
Control the amount of money that any citizen can donate to a political Party or politicians and limit to individual citizens only. No collections by anyone except the political Party or the politician.
End the ability for PAC’s, other organizations and other methods that are used to support or advertise on behalf of a political Party or politician.
Limit the ability of all social media sites used by USA citizens to censoring only what is against the law and hold them responsible for any misuse.
Ensure each state establishes rules on voting and equipment to prevent voter fraud and improve accuracy and hold those responsible who fail to comply via law suits for abridging the rights of citizens.
All funds to support state elections must be from citizens of the state, no funds from citizens of other states.
With the exception of opinion articles or shows identified as opinion shows, media outlets can not be allowed to endorse any political Party or politician, how can you be unbiased in reporting the news and endorse either.
To address the free speech issue for other organizations or individuals, allow advertising for or against a specific issues only, all advertisements must identify the organization and can not in any way support a political Party or politician.
In other words if you are against tires on cars I’D your self or organization and state your case on any media you wish. I would also suggest that any of these organizations be required to identify any person providing up to or more than 33% of the funds.
A fantasy, likely but we must get things back in control of we the people, not the government or a few oligarchs. There are many more issues no doubt.
I agree. We can be attacked from without or within. Big Tech is the biggest threat from within. The problem with being attacked from withn is, they are closer. This means typically the attack will be quicker. Now I know in a world where the difference between quick and slow can be measured in nano-seconds, "quicker" may seem to make no difference, but not everything runs through highspeed internet, especially being cancelled.
Big Tech captures a lot of personal data. Sensoring individuals, groups and small business is no big deal to them. Some have all ready sold their soul against the United States.
Considering the reach and behavior of big tech, it is very concerning going forward what may transpire as technology continues to advance. A socialist government would use the power to severely oppress the people.
I agree with the statement. Judging by their actions of "punishing" conservative thought while being perfectly content with a radical ideology like Iran's ayatollah, there doesn't seem to be any other choice.
In WW II there was the Axis of Evil - Italy and Germany. Their opponents: Allies: US, England, France. It is not just big tech, but they are allied with the Democratic party and main stream media.
Without any question they are more aligned to the Inquisition, than to a helpful way to stay in touch with friends and events. I am inundated with foul language, racist comments, pornographic photos and language, but I’m not allowed to hear or see any dissenting opinions. As a scientist, I am absolutely appalled! Time for us to recognize Evil.
It's not even close call. Of course hostile countries are the bigger threat.
Yes some big tech companies behave badly and are not balanced how they treat different points of view. but these are commercial entities who obey U.S. laws. if you don't like the way they act, don't use them. Don't get your news from Facebook or Twitter. Don't use the Google search engine. Vote with your feet.
Hostile countries such as China, Russia and Iran are actively seeking to undermine American interests. They seek to break up U.S. alliances. They place our citizens in jeopardy or kill them. They torture and oppress their own citizens.
Agree 100%... Mad Max summed this up very well... In conjunction with Mark Schreiber's comment I would add that, with the corporate intelligence gathering, and their ability to control what people see, they are gaslighting people, who pay little attention to what's happening around them, into an alternate reality devoid of facts and truth... I hear a lot of "it's up to us to fight back" but that could be everyone's full time job against the technology that is being programmed against us and the short-sighted and self-centered people fallen prey to their schemes...
...did not Biden appoint executives from Twitter, Facebook, Google, etc. into his administration?
....did not over 100 corporate heads meet the weekend of April 10th to condemn Georgia Legislators for passing SB 202?
....was it not another corporation 'MLB' that is punishing the mostly black people of Atlanta by moving the All Star games from Atlanta to Denver of mostly white people???
....the CORPORATOCRACY has now evolved into HYPOCRISY.
The true Republic -We The People- Must speak up and be engaged.
We have too be the truth bearers...the modern Paul Revere's...Patriots!
When private companies start telling state governments what they must do, it seems to me that is a move toward Fascism. Only time will tell whether the internal or external threats are greater.
Agree. The problem, however, is us. The right role of government on internal matters is to provide a level playing field, equality of opportunity. But, gov't is imperfect and we trade a desire for a gov't that will give us what we want over one that will serve our collective best interests. This weakens gov't, distracts them from their role, and big tech is in a strong position to capitalize on the opportunities we have created.
Big Tech is as dangerous a threat to privacy and freedom as any authoritarian government could be.
Our current predicament has Big Tech, along with academia, the mainstream media, and "woke" corporations, frequently works in coordination with the portions of State and Federal governments under the control of a particular political party (Democrats).
This situation is similar to that described by Benito Mussolini as "Corporatism".
Big Tech has technological capabilities to gather intelligence on individuals and organizations that the CIA, KGB, MI6, the Stasi, or the Gestapo could only dream of. When they work in coordination with one political party that controls half of the political power, together, they become the biggest threat to liberty that has ever existed in the history of the world.
Agree. Big Tech is not only collecting as much information as possible on every single American but is also actively censoring not only the President of the US, but even what news you hear or books you read. It is actively promoting its own political and cultural agenda. It is monitoring everything we write and cancels us when we say something they do not like. Reminds me of communist China.
If that's true, and it may be, it's a result of decisions we make as individuals. We can drain big tech of its power by refusing to behave as the materialistic, self-serving, dopamine-programmable bots that big tech would have us be. Is that beyond us?
Yes, privacy was lost years ago with so many transactions on line from banking to health care. The threat to our freedoms are as real as if we were in a real war.
The amount of wealth amassed by a few is staggering and their ability to use it to influence our elections is as dangerous as any enemy nation in the world. It’s obvious if you pay attention, it requires little research to know it. They control a huge amount of the media and now have assumed the power to censor speech right down to an individual level.
To win this war on our rights in my opinion it will require six primary objectives.
Control the amount of money that any citizen can donate to a political Party or politicians and limit to individual citizens only. No collections by anyone except the political Party or the politician.
End the ability for PAC’s, other organizations and other methods that are used to support or advertise on behalf of a political Party or politician.
Limit the ability of all social media sites used by USA citizens to censoring only what is against the law and hold them responsible for any misuse.
Ensure each state establishes rules on voting and equipment to prevent voter fraud and improve accuracy and hold those responsible who fail to comply via law suits for abridging the rights of citizens.
All funds to support state elections must be from citizens of the state, no funds from citizens of other states.
With the exception of opinion articles or shows identified as opinion shows, media outlets can not be allowed to endorse any political Party or politician, how can you be unbiased in reporting the news and endorse either.
To address the free speech issue for other organizations or individuals, allow advertising for or against a specific issues only, all advertisements must identify the organization and can not in any way support a political Party or politician.
In other words if you are against tires on cars I’D your self or organization and state your case on any media you wish. I would also suggest that any of these organizations be required to identify any person providing up to or more than 33% of the funds.
A fantasy, likely but we must get things back in control of we the people, not the government or a few oligarchs. There are many more issues no doubt.
Power corrupts.
If you own stock in these companies, mow is the time to vote no to woke board members. That they will understand.
Yes. I believe Facebooks 300 million was used to swing the election. Read what the Heritage Foundstion says about it.
I agree. We can be attacked from without or within. Big Tech is the biggest threat from within. The problem with being attacked from withn is, they are closer. This means typically the attack will be quicker. Now I know in a world where the difference between quick and slow can be measured in nano-seconds, "quicker" may seem to make no difference, but not everything runs through highspeed internet, especially being cancelled.
Big Tech captures a lot of personal data. Sensoring individuals, groups and small business is no big deal to them. Some have all ready sold their soul against the United States.
Threatening a God-given right is never a solution to social ills or injustices. Speech never causes destruction of property or humans; humans do that.
Abridgment of our speech freedom is wrong and money and power and technological expertise and power only exacerbate and co-exist with the wrong.
The fact that no one person or group is doing anything about the threats is appalling.
Stuff like this whereby we vent is not good enough because it is part of the threateners’ plans.
Thwarting those plans will require a level of fortitude uncommon in the USA Today; further, it will require a willingness to die and potentially kill.
Go figure. Did the planners know about these consequences or are they “unintended?”
Considering the reach and behavior of big tech, it is very concerning going forward what may transpire as technology continues to advance. A socialist government would use the power to severely oppress the people.
I agree with the statement. Judging by their actions of "punishing" conservative thought while being perfectly content with a radical ideology like Iran's ayatollah, there doesn't seem to be any other choice.
In WW II there was the Axis of Evil - Italy and Germany. Their opponents: Allies: US, England, France. It is not just big tech, but they are allied with the Democratic party and main stream media.
Absolutely!!
Without any question they are more aligned to the Inquisition, than to a helpful way to stay in touch with friends and events. I am inundated with foul language, racist comments, pornographic photos and language, but I’m not allowed to hear or see any dissenting opinions. As a scientist, I am absolutely appalled! Time for us to recognize Evil.
Big Tech, the Democrat militia
It's not even close call. Of course hostile countries are the bigger threat.
Yes some big tech companies behave badly and are not balanced how they treat different points of view. but these are commercial entities who obey U.S. laws. if you don't like the way they act, don't use them. Don't get your news from Facebook or Twitter. Don't use the Google search engine. Vote with your feet.
Hostile countries such as China, Russia and Iran are actively seeking to undermine American interests. They seek to break up U.S. alliances. They place our citizens in jeopardy or kill them. They torture and oppress their own citizens.
Let's step back and see the world in perspective.
Agree 100%... Mad Max summed this up very well... In conjunction with Mark Schreiber's comment I would add that, with the corporate intelligence gathering, and their ability to control what people see, they are gaslighting people, who pay little attention to what's happening around them, into an alternate reality devoid of facts and truth... I hear a lot of "it's up to us to fight back" but that could be everyone's full time job against the technology that is being programmed against us and the short-sighted and self-centered people fallen prey to their schemes...
Evolution of our Republic:
Democracy ~ Mediacracy ~ Corporatocracy.
...did not Biden appoint executives from Twitter, Facebook, Google, etc. into his administration?
....did not over 100 corporate heads meet the weekend of April 10th to condemn Georgia Legislators for passing SB 202?
....was it not another corporation 'MLB' that is punishing the mostly black people of Atlanta by moving the All Star games from Atlanta to Denver of mostly white people???
....the CORPORATOCRACY has now evolved into HYPOCRISY.
The true Republic -We The People- Must speak up and be engaged.
We have too be the truth bearers...the modern Paul Revere's...Patriots!
Yes for sure
Technology is in every area of our lives. We can't avoid it. Technology controls so much that it simply controls our ability to survive
Could *NOT* agree more. Those twits support the Buffoon Biden/his cronies and all their WOKE ideas! EEDGITS all...
Big Tech has an oversized appetite for power, and they are just now revealing their intentions.
Mad Max expressed my exact sentiments!
They are not as big a threat as foreign powers, however, they could become a Trojan horse if compromised by a foreign power.
When private companies start telling state governments what they must do, it seems to me that is a move toward Fascism. Only time will tell whether the internal or external threats are greater.
First thought: “That’s nuts.” Also second and third thought.
No one can point to a single tangible harm.
Agree. The problem, however, is us. The right role of government on internal matters is to provide a level playing field, equality of opportunity. But, gov't is imperfect and we trade a desire for a gov't that will give us what we want over one that will serve our collective best interests. This weakens gov't, distracts them from their role, and big tech is in a strong position to capitalize on the opportunities we have created.