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Facebook looks like it's preparing for war with Trump
Business Insider ^ | Nov. 21, 2018 | Jake Kanter

Posted on 11/22/2018 8:36:19 PM PST by Baynative

Facebook has hired one of the top antitrust lawyers in Silicon Valley in a sign that the company could be preparing for war with Donald Trump's administration.

Kate Patchen, the chief of the Department of Justice's antitrust division in San Francisco, has joined Facebook as director and associate general counsel of litigation.

Patchen's hire comes during the same month that US President Donald Trump said his administration was "looking at" antitrust proceedings against tech giants Google, Amazon, and Facebook.

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


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: antitrust; bigbother; bloggers; doj; facebook; fakebook; fakenews; monopoly; noproof; patchen; privacyrights; speculation; tds; trustbusting; witchhunt
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The growing power of Facebook and others bothers me. Even though I support free trade and less government, I think it might be worth considering a break up of this monopoly of ideological influence.

I saw a documentary on Mark Zuckerberg that I found troubling in its exposing of his lack of conscience and ruthless way of dealing with and dominating people.

Dealing with him and his political objectives is not something I think our DOJ can handle.

1 posted on 11/22/2018 8:36:19 PM PST by Baynative
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To: Baynative

Just bankrupt them to death with lawfare like they do.


2 posted on 11/22/2018 8:38:42 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum (Democracy dies when Democrats refuse to accept the result of a democratic election they didn't win.)
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To: All
President Trump Should Strip Social Media Companies Of Section 230 Immunity.
FR Posted on 8/20/2018 by Enlightened1

President Trump should introduce legislation stripping all social media companies of their section 230 immunity.

Since the tech companies are trying to have it both ways where on one hand they are censoring conservatives, promoting Democrats in their social media algorithms, but at the very same time they have public square immunity under federal law from what people post to their web sites. The Tech Left are saying they can do whatever they want when it comes to censorship. However, if you have public square immunity from federal law, then you cannot at the very same time censor conservatives and promote Democrats.

President Trump simply needs to make it so that Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, etc.. can no longer have immunity to third party posts. Thus, social media will no longer be treated as public platforms or the modern public square where people can say what they want, but treated as Publishers. Again this is since social media giants want to censor what is being said on their web sites. The Tech Left are trying to have it both ways, and you cannot. You fall under one category or the next.

This above is an easy way to make everyone play by the same rules. If you make a billion dollar as these tech companies do, then say they are liable for all content posted on their web sites like a Publisher. The funny part is the Tech Left for years have been arguing they are just a public platform and they cannot be held accountable. However, since they are now openly and actively censoring people it is time to strip away their section 230 immunity. Section 230 is part of the Digital Millennium Copyright act, and it holds that platforms are not liable for content posted by third parties to their websites.

It would be great if social media were neutral forums. However, since they are not neutral forums then we have a problem. Since the algorithms are rigged to favor Democrats and Leftists the Justice Department must open an investigation into the social media companies to determine if the algorithms are an “in kind” election contribution.

For instance, if you own Billboard, then you cannot give that Billboard to a political candidate. That is known as “in kind” contribution, and there are contribution limits. Thus, if you like a candidate and you donate the maximum money. You then cannot go put out a bunch of commercials for that candidate. This is because you already maxed out giving money to the candidate. What these tech companies are doing by rigging the algorithms is the functional equivalent of giving a candidate free billboards and TV ads.

The above is the key for President Trump to stop the tech left election engineering and rigging. President Trump should have the DOJ send subpoenas to all these social media companies a notice to preserve all evidence, and a notice to preserve all documents. If they fail to do this, hide information, etc… then they can go to prison under federal laws for tampering with evidence and documents. Furthermore,

President Trump can send them notices of anti-trust, election meddling and election fraud, Federal Elections Commission and to the Anti-Trust commission. The tech companies have made a bet. They believe the Democrats are going to win the House of Representatives in November of 2018. If this happens, then they are off the hook. This is because they will not have Mark Meadows, Jim Jordan, Matt Gaetz and others to hold them accountable since the Democrats would be in control. They believe as long as they help the Democrats they are free and clear.

This is why President Trump needs to send out the notices to preserve evidence, subpoena them and open a criminal investigation for election meddling, election engineering and illegal “in kind” campaign contributions made by social media giants. This is all in clear violation of campaign finance laws.

This is the Tech Left Coup. Remember Dinesh D'souza was investigated, charged and sent to prison over giving 20k to a friend through alleged shell donors, then why is there no investigation into the “in kind” contributions? Remember too the new Black Panthers got investigated for standing outside of voting centers with clubs to intimidate voters. Although Holder let them go. Anyhow, these are the Democrats blocking everyone and intimidating everyone.

So when Twitter and Facebook rig their platforms so that Democrat content goes to the top of the pile, that is the functional equivalent of giving someone a free commercial. That’s a clear campaign contribution of billions of dollars.

==========================

NOTE: TRUMPS'S HUD COMPLAINT NOW IN MOTION SAYS: Facebook mines extensive user data and classifies its users based on protected characteristics. Facebook’s ad targeting tools then invite advertisers to express unlawful preferences by suggesting discriminatory options. Among those options are physical disabilities, parents with children and even religious practices — advertisers are allowed to show their ads only to people Facebook deems interested in “Jesus” or the “Christian Church,” for example. Those practices could violate the Civil Rights Act, HUD said in the complaint, dated August 13.

3 posted on 11/22/2018 8:47:32 PM PST by Liz (Our side has 8 trillion bullets; the other side doesn't know which bathroom to use.)
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To: Baynative

Monopolies and oligopolies are not consistent with free markets. In this case, government action against monopolies protect the individual’s right to compete.

Monopolies drive competitors out of business by selling below cost. Then when they have taken over the market, they overcharge and quality goes down. Standard Oil, Railroads and ATT are classic examples.

They also lobby government officials to support regulations that thwart upstart competitors. They also use the legal system to engage in “lawfare” to drive out smaller competitors.

So, opposition to monopolies should not be considered antithetical to free markets and the proper use of government to protect individual rights.


4 posted on 11/22/2018 8:54:48 PM PST by grumpygresh (Abolish administrative law. It's regressive, medieval and unconstitutional!)
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To: Baynative

The diminishing power of facebook...

Fixed it...


5 posted on 11/22/2018 8:56:12 PM PST by NCDave (AKA, "That idiot over there")
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To: Liz

Excellent idea and excellent tagline.


6 posted on 11/22/2018 8:57:16 PM PST by killermosquito (Buffalo, Detroit (and eventually France) is what you get when liberalism runs its course.)
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>> antitrust proceedings against tech giants Google, Amazon, and Facebook

Comcast and TWC/ATT are far worse. And you subscribers should speak up!


7 posted on 11/22/2018 9:04:08 PM PST by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
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To: Baynative; beef; BullDog108; Califreak; cgbg; ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas; dirtymac; Fedora; ...

This is the Facebook Is Evil ping list.

If you'd like to be on or off this list, please click Private Reply below and drop me a FReepmail.

8 posted on 11/22/2018 9:04:35 PM PST by upchuck (When hatred of culture becomes itself a part of culture, the life of the mind loses all meaning.)
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To: Baynative
Why don't we just respond with a “Conservative” Facebook?

The idea that the Hard Left totally corrupt Department of Justice, and the politically corrupt federal judiciary, are going to dismantle or regulate Facebook and Google is a sick comedy.

9 posted on 11/22/2018 9:07:56 PM PST by zeestephen
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To: Baynative

Ehh, just lob a couple of multi-megaton nukes on Silicon Valley. Didn’t one of the CA Congresscritters just threaten to nuke gun owners? So turnabout is fair play, right?


10 posted on 11/22/2018 9:18:58 PM PST by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
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To: Liz
Re: “President Trump can send them notices of anti-trust, election meddling, and election fraud...”

And who will prosecute them?

The Hard Left politically corrupt Department of Justice?

And who will convict them?

The overwhelmingly Leftist jurors in Washington D.C. and Silicon Valley?

Bottom Line...

Conservatives need to compete directly against Facebook and Google in their business markets.

11 posted on 11/22/2018 9:23:23 PM PST by zeestephen
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To: Baynative

It is a war they will lose.


12 posted on 11/22/2018 9:31:35 PM PST by DarthVader (Not by speeches & majority decisions will the great issues of today be decided but by Blood & Iron)
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To: zeestephen

“Why don’t we just respond with a “Conservative” Facebook?”

The left never creates anything. Entrepreneurs do, and the left buys up the successes. I recall not that many years back when Youtube, Twitter and such were truly open platforms and almost all discussion was tolerated.


13 posted on 11/23/2018 12:21:20 AM PST by Zack Attack
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To: zeestephen

You’ll need your own servers, you own mobile phone platform, your own “paypal”, your own bank, your own sponsors (corporate Amerika will blacklist you), and anyone posting to your site will be denied employment.

or haven’t you been paying attention?


14 posted on 11/23/2018 1:29:02 AM PST by a fool in paradise (Denounce DUAC - The Democrats Un-American Activists Committtee)
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To: zeestephen

“Why don’t we just respond with a “Conservative” Facebook?”

The object is not for conservatives to have a place to go. The object is to get the conservative message as it is - not as the left THINKS it is - out. As long they control the platform they will never allow any challenge to their faux moral high ground. That means, they will eventually win. They know this. It is one of the only true things they know.

Think of the leftist you know. All of them are incredibly narrow minded yet claim to be tolerant. They all function in group think mode while loudly trumpeting that they are free thinkers. None of them is able to form an independent thought yet they claim to be enlightened. They call good evil and laud evil as progressive.

You cannot argue with that kind of indoctrinated mind by simply going away. They will never change until they have to defend their ideas. C. S. Lewis, in the book, Letters to Malcolm, wrote that “it is easier to pray for a boor than to go visit him” The same is true of your leftist friends and family. They purposely make you uncomfortable while decrying you making them uncomfortable. They want you to go away and to be able to blame for it.

Leftist are sophist. They believe that the only truth is who controls the definition of words. You can’t just go away. You have to confront them with the absolute truth that their World View is a lie. To do that you have to keep them from controlling, to use their term, the narrative. You also have to interact with them.

They will never have to defend their ideas while they control the medium of delivery. This is not a simple issue of “Free Markets eventually winning” this is deeper than that.

So, contrary to what some on this list “Face Book is Evil” Ping List say, I believe you need to be on Face Book, or Twitter or Whatsap and to confront, in a loving way where possible, the lies your relatives, and friends believe.

But, to do that you better really know your stuff.

Just my thoughts.


15 posted on 11/23/2018 2:02:41 AM PST by Fai Mao (There is no rule of law in the US until The PIAPS is executed.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Amen. A nice Class Action Lawsuit ought to do nicely.


16 posted on 11/23/2018 2:26:06 AM PST by MagnoliaB (You can't always get what you want but if you try sometime you might find, you get what you need.)
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To: Fai Mao
Re: “They will never have to defend their ideas while they control the medium of delivery.”

Thanks for your carefully framed thoughts on this subject.

Before you arrived here in 2012, Free Republic, in many ways, really was a political antidote to Facebook and the other Leftist media.

Tragically, the energy and the impact of Free Republic began to crumble around 2008.

Conservatives have had no viable national leadership since Newt Gingrich was destroyed around 1996 by dozens of false ethics charges and GOP treachery and torpor.

In 2008, just two years after Free Republic crushed the Bush-McCain Amnesty, the GOP decided to nominate the same traitorous McCain for president. Without question, McCain was the single worst presidential candidate in my long life time.

For the next 8 years, Conservatives had to endure the Outlaw Administration of Barack Obama, even though we worked tirelessly to elect GOP Congressional majorities that never raised a finger to stop him.

2015 brought the candidacy of Donald Trump, which has completely fractured Free Republic in ways that no issue or no candidate has ever fractured it before.

Finally, I think the most important media defeat that Conservatives have ever faced has been the 2016 defection of Matt Drudge to the anti-Trump center-left.

Since the 2000 election, Drudge had forced the Democratic Party to play defense on more national issues than all the other Conservative activists combined.

There is simply no way to replace Drudge, and no way to measure the political damage we have suffered since he walked away.

17 posted on 11/23/2018 3:13:34 AM PST by zeestephen
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To: Baynative

Bookmark Bump


18 posted on 11/23/2018 4:12:37 AM PST by Loud Mime (Liberalism: Intolerance masquerading as tolerance)
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To: Baynative

FB and all the others will be doing what they were born to do: use the internet to promote leftist, hate-America values and to trash Trump.


19 posted on 11/23/2018 4:36:39 AM PST by I want the USA back (It's Ok To Be White. White Lives Matter. White Guilt is Socially Constructed)
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To: grumpygresh
A monopoly in and of itself is not illegal -- nor is it inconsistent with "free markets." The real issue is whether the monopoly engages in business practices that prevent competitors from operating freely and fairly in the market.

I'm not familiar with the inner workings of the companies mentioned in this article, but can anyone name a single thing Facebook (for example) has done to stifle competition?

20 posted on 11/23/2018 5:13:22 AM PST by Alberta's Child ("The Russians escaped while we weren't watching them ... like Russians will.")
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