Mark Zuckerberg Dismisses Calls To Break Up Facebook (politico.com) 60
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday rebuffed calls for the company to be broken up over competition concerns, disputing claims the firm has grown too dominant. From a report: During a call with reporters, Zuckerberg was pressed to address recent calls from Democratic officials and one Facebook co-founder for federal regulators to force the company to spin off WhatsApp and Instagram, previously acquired in two blockbuster deals. "I think it kind of almost goes without saying that we exist in a very competitive and dynamic environment where new services are constantly coming up," Zuckerberg said. He later disputed arguments that the company has grown too dominant as an advertising player as "a little stretched," noting the company controls just around a fifth of the global digital ad market. "I don't really think that the remedy of breaking up the company is going to address those," he said. "I actually think it's going to make it a lot harder." Further reading: Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg: Chinese Tech Companies Are Also Powerful, and Will Not Be Broken Up.
One Fifth!!! (Score:5, Insightful)
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But if he were a right-winger, wouldn't you be supporting his "business acumen" and making excuses for his lies? Be honest.
False.
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1. 1/5th is not dominant, and not even close to a monopoly
2. Facebook's market share is declining [investopedia.com]
3. Facebook is not even the biggest market participant
4. The market for on-line ads is competitive and there is no evidence that competition is being stifled.
5. In many ways "online ads" are not even a separate market from TV, radio, and print ads.
6. There is no evidence, nor even a plausible mechanism, for Facebook to abuse their market share for competitive advantage.
7. There are no barriers to entry (other
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Actually, the call to break up Facebook is also being spoken in mama's purebred Tea Republican
Can you name a Republican politician who is calling for that?
Maybe check with your own dudes before spouting off about whose only it is.
They are not "my dudes". I would love to see Trump replaced by a sensible Democrat. Unfortunately, none of them are running.
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Can you name a Republican politician who is calling for that?
It's worse. Trump wants to turn them, along with Twitter, into a propaganda wing of the government.
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Hi Zuck! (Score:2)
Just "force" Facebook to share data (Score:5, Interesting)
Breaking FB up will solve nothing really.
Just "force" it to share data or to ensure that Joe Smith can write up a front end to access data FB has.
Second: "Force" Social Media entities to make sure that they can collaborate somehow.
In other words, I should be able to use my own Social Media platform (what ever it may be), to communicate with FB seamlessly - just like email.
What's wrong with this?
Re:Just "force" Facebook to share data (Score:5, Informative)
Keep the government out of the free market!!
If you actually read Wealth of Nations, instead of just talking about free markets, you'd realize that a lot of what Adam Smith talks about is the many reasons why governments should intervene in the free market.
Or, heaven forbid, you might take an actual economics course.
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Breaking FB up will solve nothing really.
Just "force" it to share data or to ensure that Joe Smith can write up a front end to access data FB has.
Second: "Force" Social Media entities to make sure that they can collaborate somehow.
In other words, I should be able to use my own Social Media platform (what ever it may be), to communicate with FB seamlessly - just like email.
What's wrong with this?
Facebook, like most other social media companies, is offering a free service. You do not have to pay to set up a Facebook page. As such, they are under no obligations to provide you with any service at all. If you don't like what Facebook offers, use something else. Now, some will no doubt respond that it isn't really free cause you're paying with your information, or your eyeballs (looking at ads), but all that is voluntarily provided by you when you choose to use their service, which you don't have to
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you're paying with your information, or your eyeballs (looking at ads), but all that is voluntarily provided by you when you choose to use their service
And when you choose not to use their services and still they build profiles on you by spying?
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...all that is voluntarily provided by you when you choose to use their service, which you don't have to do!
So why do they have information on people that didn't sign up to their service? Shadow profiles are real, and they contain data about people that haven't agreed to FBs T&Cs.
Re:Just "force" Facebook to share data (Score:4, Insightful)
"What's wrong with this?"
How does that REDUCE people retaining, utilizing, and having access to people's confidential data? The problem isn't really advertising, the problem is that FB has control over the flow of communications and messages of essentially all social media.
Breaking up Facebook reduces Zuckerberg's power (Score:3)
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IMHO, all social network companies should/must be banned (by law) from providing any News (Feed) feature to their members!!!
You need to start by convening a constitutional convention to repeal the 1st Amendment.
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Zuck is CIA
Anyone who doesn't believe it needs to look up the Lifelog project. Then compare the date it was shutdown with the date when FB was started.
Political pressure (Score:3)
Not to Worry (Score:2)
Just my 2 cents
More noise will follow (Score:1)
Mark Zuckerberg's comments add NOTHING to the discussion that hasn't already been said. His lawyers would be more interesting to listen to.
Right after the Julian Assange Charged in 18-Count Indictment For WikiLeaks Disclosure - 2 facebook narratives pop up. One of these stories is very important, the rest are a distraction.
So that means it's a good idea (Score:2)
Let's do it!
Let's break up FB!