When the heads of four of the largest technology companies for a WebEx grilling of US House members on Wednesday, was something decidedly retro lined up on the whole thing. It ‘s like Amazon Standard Oil is this century – a monster that American life is integrated yet established very real threats constitute a monopoly. This risk has been there for a while ‘time, but the crown pandemic forced to respect the legislature how quickly these companies American change from everyday life and the danger that carries. Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google leaders were with an antitrust subcommittee house to answer questions about free competition in the market and the privacy of consumers to visit nominally, the smoking for years. In fact, they were defending their own right to exist as the enormous broker as Americans buy goods and similar ideas. tech critics have argued that they broke to stay in their current form and must be large, so as not to accumulate too much power. His defenders say they are (mostly) free and compete hard to provide the best products and experiences. A sense that matters in Washington. Subscribe to daily direct current, short newsletter. Congress has to answer his own questions in navigation whether these companies should be allowed to continue business as usual. They want lawmakers to turn off the tap of easy access to goods and ideas? Congress was careful these huge companies seem to check for a good reason. One, are economic engines that provide a steady stream of tax revenue available. (Amazon, of course, the exception is due to its relatively low profit and correspondingly low tax burden.) Two, the Giants have armies of lobbyists willing to Ding legislators who step out of line and its those that reward customer support. And three, if a consultation in 2018 with many of these same faces is an indicator, it is clear that many of these legislators do not understand what these companies do. But the pandemic Crown has laid bare the depth of this influence of society. Amazon now pays half of all e-commerce market. The iPhone is ubiquitous and the Apple app download platform has a vice, including e-health tracking systems. Facebook has become the American national newspaper, while all the editorial standards are lacking. And Google is so widespread that his company has become a verb for most people. Therein lies a force too powerful to continue without asking lurking in the shadows. It ‘easy to treat today’s hearing as an academic exercise too much power. But consider social media feeds to your family. It turns out that a quarter of Americans believe, at the time, to some extent, the false conspiracy theory that the powerful people planned and executed the crown pandemic. Pew Research Center poll last week shows 20% of Americans believe that it is probably true that powerful interests were behind the outbreak, and 5% who say it is definitely true. Among Republicans, buy a third full of conspiracy theory. But blacks and Hispanic voters, who are overwhelmingly against President Donald Trump, buy this theory more than their white or Asian neighbors. At one point, the distrust than institutions such as the Center for Disease Control, the fringe left and became a real threat to public health. This reality is largely because social media platforms like Facebook allow misinformation without a credible antidote to sing along. Apple decides which applications you can use to control their own health and information. Amazon decides which products – including books and ideas among the packed roofs – are available and at what cost to publishers and consumers. And Google decides which answers appear at the top of the search. At a time of double health and economic crisis, Congress had little choice, as these leaders to justify their existence to drag. However, a quick fix is out-of-stock on Amazon. A version of this article first in the short DC, TIME Newsletter issued the policy. Sign up here to get stories like this sent to your inbox every day. Picture copyright by Getty Images (4)
Big Tech faces a grilling from Congress late
