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Report: Steve Bannon Wants Google, Facebook to Be Regulated Like Utilities
breitbart ^ | 28 Jul 2017 | LUCAS NOLAN

Posted on 07/30/2017 3:31:04 PM PDT by aquila48

The Intercept reports that former Breitbart News Executive Chairman and current White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon has called for tech companies such as Google and Facebook to be regulated in a similar way to public utilities as the influence and reach of these companies grows. The Intercept cited three anonymous sources that have reportedly discussed the issue of internet regulation and tech companies with Bannon.

Bannon reportedly stated that companies such as Google and Facebook have become so essential to the internet and to the everyday life of many U.S. citizens that they should be regulated as a natural monopoly. Bannon’s position is becoming an increasingly popular one amongst tech experts. Jonathan Taplin, the author of Move Fast and Break Things: How Facebook, Google, and Amazon Cornered Culture and Undermined Democracy, recently claimed that tech companies like Google and Facebook have become too big and may need to be broken up.

Google and Facebook have been dominating the online advertising industry in recent years, with analysis company Pivotal Research reporting recently that Google and Facebook combined accounted for 99% of all online ad industry growth in 2016. Traditional news outlets recently requested an antitrust exemption for congress in order to negotiate with companies like Google and Facebook in relation to advertising partnerships.

David Charen, the chief executive of the News Media Alliance, wrote an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal on the matter where he explained some of the financial figures behind the traditional media group’s complaints. “The problem is that today’s internet distribution systems distort the flow of economic value derived from good reporting,” said Charen. “Google and Facebook dominate web traffic and online ad income.”

(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: searchworks
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To: Grampa Dave
We trust and support Trump. The next Rat Potus would abuse this power.

This is flawed thinking since, whether or not Trump makes Facebook, Twitter and Google public utilities, the next Rat POTUS would use these leftist-owned networks to silence conservatives anyway. Making them public utilities makes their control political, protects us during times of GOP control, and thus only helps us when and if a RAT Potus takes control and begins setting regulations that harm conservatives.

21 posted on 07/30/2017 3:54:17 PM PDT by Greetings_Puny_Humans (I mostly come out at night... mostly.)
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To: TBP

I use to agree, until Sourcefed did the Google Hillary test, and shows how they hid “indictment” from her searches. So Google is being evil and tampering with searches so that they can influence elections.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtn7cb8Esqg

It would be nice if you could trust them, but that is not happening. So they were in Hillary’s corner, and that is dirty pool.

Twitter and Facebook are guilty as well.

I would love to see the conservative portion of this nation, switch to alternative social medial portals. Conservatives could ban together and knock these creeps out.

Could WalMart pick up the Amazon slack and say, we are not letting leftists run the internet? Could WalMart be the Anti-Amazon and start breaking up their monopoly?

Europeans are now fining Google billions for fixing searches to enrich its own companies.

I want a free market, but a monopoly is not that, and eventually the price goes up and the service goes down. Worse, they have a leftist political agenda, so it cannot be trusted at all.


22 posted on 07/30/2017 3:56:53 PM PDT by Titus-Maximus (It doesn't matter who votes for whom, it only matters who counts the votes - Joe Stalin)
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To: TBP

I use to agree, until Sourcefed did the Google Hillary test, and shows how they hid “indictment” from her searches. So Google is being evil and tampering with searches so that they can influence elections.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtn7cb8Esqg

It would be nice if you could trust them, but that is not happening. So they were in Hillary’s corner, and that is dirty pool.

Twitter and Facebook are guilty as well.

I would love to see the conservative portion of this nation, switch to alternative social medial portals. Conservatives could ban together and knock these creeps out.

Could WalMart pick up the Amazon slack and say, we are not letting leftists run the internet? Could WalMart be the Anti-Amazon and start breaking up their monopoly?

Europeans are now fining Google billions for fixing searches to enrich its own companies.

I want a free market, but a monopoly is not that, and eventually the price goes up and the service goes down. Worse, they have a leftist political agenda, so it cannot be trusted at all.


23 posted on 07/30/2017 3:56:55 PM PDT by Titus-Maximus (It doesn't matter who votes for whom, it only matters who counts the votes - Joe Stalin)
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To: aquila48

No. Stupid idea. I thought that Trump claimed that he was going to reduce regulations!


24 posted on 07/30/2017 3:57:27 PM PDT by I want the USA back (If free speech is taken away, dumb and silent we are led, like sheep to the slaughter: G Washington)
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To: aquila48
Because more government fixes everything! 🤢
25 posted on 07/30/2017 3:59:17 PM PDT by Caipirabob (Communists... Socialists... Democrats...Traitors... Who can tell the difference?)
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To: TBP

Those guys love gummint so much, they should have some. A BIG dose. That will make conservatives out of them.


26 posted on 07/30/2017 4:00:11 PM PDT by wastoute (Government cannot redistribute wealth. Government can only redistribute poverty.)
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To: aquila48; All

Bad idea...

That’s the government getting in the door and controlling the internet.

In other words it’s an eventual back door to censorshing the Internet.


27 posted on 07/30/2017 4:03:11 PM PDT by Enlightened1
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To: aquila48

Eliminate or waiver on Software Patents is the best solution. Especially ban patents on Natural Processes.
Owning the number ‘1’ via patent is stupid.


28 posted on 07/30/2017 4:08:32 PM PDT by TheNext (Deep State are Lunatics)
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To: All

Facebook and Google absolutely need to be broken up and reigned in. The rats are going to use their data whether or not there is regulation in place. Regulation and oversight is not necessarily the same as control.

We are damned both ways.

I think the core issue is that neither the gubermint or the private sector should be allowed to collect data on citizens - unless that collection is voluntary and is CLEARLY spelled out by the companies and cannot be sold with further explicit permission from the user.

I think these ULA agreements should all be held to be illegal. One of the basic tenets of contract law is that the parties must understand what they are agreeing to. No one reads those ULAs and we are all agreeing to egregious violations of our privacy with no understanding of what we are doing.


29 posted on 07/30/2017 4:10:17 PM PDT by TheTimeOfMan (A time for peace and a time for war)
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To: Titus-Maximus

Walmart is globalist. Translation: Walmart is leftist.


30 posted on 07/30/2017 4:11:40 PM PDT by reasonisfaith ("...because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved." (2 Thessalonians))
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To: dfwgator

It’s sensible.

Not ChiCom.

Infact, I would bet the ChiComs would love an internet anarchy
outside their own borders.

I am almost libertarian for goodness sake, but I do appreciate the FDA for instance. In China they eat asbestos and glass.

Thanks to the FDA, you do not.

The government should be involved to a minimum, but there are some areas:

Police/domestic security
Military/external security
Food safety/Don’t eat asbestos

There are probably other areas like car and airline safety as well.

Btw, I am sure you agree with me on all of these.

Information is a lot trickier, and we are just floating and bobbing on the water trying to understand it.

But, I definetly could see where some form of government legislation might be needed to avoid Rick Deckard.


31 posted on 07/30/2017 4:53:08 PM PDT by Eurotwit (FRexit? No. AdiEU. - Loud Mime)
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To: aquila48

YES × 1,000,000!


32 posted on 07/30/2017 5:18:18 PM PDT by Awgie (Truth is always stranger than fiction.)
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To: Fiddlstix

This is what I always thought, when Obama was in charge. It amazed me that my liberal acquaintances gave no thought to the possibility that a horrible conservative might get in there someday, and use all of those extralegal maneuvers as precendent, to conservative advantage.

I guess they thought they would own it all forever.


33 posted on 07/30/2017 5:28:20 PM PDT by Jamestown1630 ("A Republic, if you can keep it.")
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To: Awgie

I never use Google I use anything but Google and I despise the often used Google every thing. I use IXQuick although Google has their finger in most every pot.


34 posted on 07/30/2017 5:31:31 PM PDT by simonjo
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To: All

I’d like to see them regulated.....

By hundreds of millions of people who are smart enough to boycott them permanently for the evil, intrusive and abusive entities that they are.


35 posted on 07/30/2017 6:25:23 PM PDT by LegendHasIt
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To: aquila48

Facebook and Google both represent the views of liberal oligarchs that want conservative opinions muzzled as hate speech.

Both have way more influence in politics and advertising than they ever should and much more than ATT Bell System ever had.

I favor breaking them up and make the pieces compete.


36 posted on 07/30/2017 6:26:23 PM PDT by apoliticalone (Political correctness should be defined as news media that exposes political corruption)
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To: apoliticalone

What should be broken up is the media conglomerates.


37 posted on 07/30/2017 6:27:42 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: rfp1234

I agree with you 100%! Bust them up! Along with the 6 biggest media companies!


38 posted on 07/30/2017 6:28:02 PM PDT by 2big2fail
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To: simonjo

As do I bypass Google with IX Quick, and am not a puppet of Zuckerbergs foolishness called FB.


39 posted on 07/30/2017 6:31:43 PM PDT by apoliticalone (Political correctness should be defined as news media that exposes political corruption)
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To: aquila48

No Way!

That is just what they want. Guaranteed profits and guaranteed protection. Talk about Bad IDEA!


40 posted on 07/30/2017 6:32:56 PM PDT by Jim from C-Town (The government is rarely benevolent, often malevolent and never benign!)
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