Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Koch doesn't want Big Tech broken up
twitter ^ | June 18 | POLITICO

Posted on 06/18/2021 4:39:14 AM PDT by RandFan

An antitrust package is pitting the politically powerful Koch network, which advocates for the government to stay out of business, against major tech antagonists on the right

Article...

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


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Computers/Internet
KEYWORDS: charleskoch; davidkoch; liberaltarians; libertarians; rfkjr; robertfkennedyjr
Personally think something should be done and I'm a libertarian.

I feel Google/Facebook in particular have too big a share of internet advertising something like 90%+ of the market. That is classic monopoly status.

Also don't like how Google/Apple are gatekeepers with their 'App Store' and can effectively ban their competition or infringe on free speech. That should stop.

1 posted on 06/18/2021 4:39:14 AM PDT by RandFan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: RandFan

Hanging was good enuf for horse stealing.

this was the STEALING of a country.

Take the companies. H
Hang those that stole the USA
by their systematic PLANNED fraud.


2 posted on 06/18/2021 4:50:17 AM PDT by Diogenesis (Tuitio Fidei et Obsequium Pauperum)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: RandFan

Koch and Soros are equally evil.


3 posted on 06/18/2021 4:53:19 AM PDT by McGavin999 (biden is not my president )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: RandFan

He doesn’t want government to influence businesses, but he has no issue with businesses influencing our government officials and elections.


4 posted on 06/18/2021 5:08:38 AM PDT by Durbin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: RandFan

The actions of Big Tech ARE NOT private business decisions. They are collaboration and coordination with political and government interests.


5 posted on 06/18/2021 5:14:05 AM PDT by jimfree (My 20 y/o granddaughter continues to have more quality exec experience than Joe Biden.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: McGavin999

Follow the money. Trump voters simply must not support any candidate who receives Koch money. Period.


6 posted on 06/18/2021 5:16:40 AM PDT by lodi90
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: RandFan
Personally think something should be done and I'm a libertarian.

I've always leaned libertarian as well. I don't know if Big Tech needs to be busted. I do know that when it came to the 2020 election Zuckerberg threw in millions upon millions into drop boxes and get out the vote efforts. The latter probably being ballot harvesting where it was illegal. That needs to stop.

Social media has become a town square, and for many people their living rooms. I am open to hearing arguments in protecting free speech from corporate censorship. There are other insidious problems too; big banks redlining conservative businesses, cloud services deplatforming conservative businesses. That makes it difficult to have competition. It is almost as if someone wants to compete against Facebook or Twitter that they have to bring their own entire infrastructure to do so. When you can't get funding for that, it is a big problem.

As for trust busting, I am not sure it is effective. Look at what happened to Standard Oil. Rockefeller went from owning shares in Standard Oil to owning shares in the companies formed from Standard Oil.

A lot of trust busting was directed at the leaders of large businesses. It really is no different today. People hate Zuckerberg and Dorsey. Jeez, they hate Bill Gates and he doesn't even run Microsoft any longer. Monopolies and oligopolies have similar characteristics and can do things, positive and negative, that businesses operating under pure competition (many small businesses) cannot. While the leaders of big business maybe be hated, the forms of big business serve a purpose. Let's make sure our hatred certain business leaders not get in the way the true underlying problems.

Perhaps we should enforce existing laws and regulations while examining the operations of Big Tech and Big Banks to see how an equal playing field can be created to promote competition while preserving property rights and free speech. The problem with that is, I don't trust anyone in government to do that job. So after a long winded post, all I can do is I don't know if trust busting will improve things and I am very wary of any new regulations. They almost always have unintended consequences and they always help big business stifle competition.

I do know I have done everything I can possibly do in this respect. I stopped using social media back during the Obama administration. I threw Comcrap to curb over 18 months ago. I don't do business with AT&T. I don't watch any cable, since I don't have it. I don't buy from Amazon. I try my best not to buy crap from China ... and so on. We can vote with our feet to partly solve the problem. The real problem is convincing other Americans to do the same things and hold the same values as we do.

7 posted on 06/18/2021 5:27:24 AM PDT by ConservativeInPA (“When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty.” ― Thomas Jefferson)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: RandFan
The Koch's and their libertarian allies are nothing but corporatists hiding under an ideology. They are not conservatives and what they say is ridiculous and should have no impact on the rest of us. If they continue then obviously they need to pay more taxes.
8 posted on 06/18/2021 5:55:23 AM PDT by amnestynone (We are asked by people who do not tolerate us to tolerate the intolerable in the name of tolerance.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: RandFan

I hope this demon dies and joins his brother in HELL .


9 posted on 06/18/2021 6:16:33 AM PDT by ncalburt (Gop DC Globalists is a )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ncalburt

Every bit as evil as Soros.


10 posted on 06/18/2021 6:17:37 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: dfwgator

very true .

Dumb ass Jared invited these monsters to the Trump WH .


11 posted on 06/18/2021 6:25:56 AM PDT by ncalburt (Gop DC Globalists is a )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: RandFan

The smart ones should’ve seen this when google started their stuff in the 90’s.

‘Big Tech’ by Webster’s definition, ARE A MONOPOLY.


12 posted on 06/18/2021 6:47:48 AM PDT by Terry L Smith
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: RandFan

How do monopolies form?

Repeal that and let competition take Big Tech apart naturally.


13 posted on 06/18/2021 6:55:41 AM PDT by Dead Corpse (A Psalm in napalm...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Dead Corpse

At the very least the “App Stores” should be hived off.

Their integrated in the hardware and software devices. They can effectively shut down the competition if they wanted. Not good...


14 posted on 06/18/2021 7:00:01 AM PDT by RandFan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: RandFan

Well, you can’t fit Chevy heads on a Ford motor either...

Still, again, the solution isn’t erecting more barriers, but get rid of the ones that limit entry to a product that doesn’t do that... Market forces take over from there.


15 posted on 06/18/2021 7:03:23 AM PDT by Dead Corpse (A Psalm in napalm...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: jimfree
They are collaboration and coordination with political and government interests.

Correct.

It'd be neat if we had a government that was limited in some way. Maybe some kind of document that lays out what they are explicitly allowed to do. We could even add a section with some general stuff they are as equally explicitly NOT allowed to do.

That way, there'd be no political power for some of these people to buy...

16 posted on 06/18/2021 7:07:49 AM PDT by Dead Corpse (A Psalm in napalm...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: RandFan

Something should be done indeed asap.
Anyone who has questions about Google/Facebook need to look at Standard oil and Ma Bell story.


17 posted on 06/18/2021 9:37:25 AM PDT by Vaduz (women and children to be impacIQ of chimpsted the most.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Vaduz

The problem is Big Tech’s grip on global media. All the major global news organizations speak with one voice.


18 posted on 06/18/2021 9:38:05 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: RandFan

Break them up.


19 posted on 06/18/2021 9:39:17 AM PDT by 1Old Pro (Let's make crime illegal again!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dfwgator

That’s the problem bust them up they are a monopoly.


20 posted on 06/18/2021 10:01:48 AM PDT by Vaduz (women and children to be impacIQ of chimpsted the most.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson