Americans treat tech companies as an alternative to effective governments. It shouldn’t be this way.
After the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional rights of abortion, many abortion advocates could blame them if digital bread crumbs of people from apps and the Internet asked for steps. There are, and you can do to protect them by paying attention to technologies and telecommunications companies such as Facebook, Apple, Verizon.
I understand this. In an economy that consumes a lot of our data, businesses have information about almost everyone. It makes them a potential source of information for law enforcement agencies seeking to prosecute those involved in abortion.
On the other hand, it was another example of people who circumvent elected civil servants and instead turn to powerful tech companies to address legal, policy, and accountability concerns.
Many believe that Donald Trump and other Republican officials will not stop making false claims that the 2020 presidential election is fraudulent. As a result, much attention is being paid to what Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube could do to prevent these lies from spreading.
Politicians are angry that some big companies don’t pay federal income tax, but instead of changing legal deductions and tax exemptions, they don’t pay Amazon and other big companies a fair tax burden. Screaming that.People are angry with Facebook Generous enforcement of rules banning the sale of guns —But Facebook has more gun restrictions than much of the real Americans.
Enterprises are a major force in our lives, and some digital superpowers sometimes act like global actors as a result of government equivalents. Whether or not all of us like it, they have a responsibility beyond profit.
But worried that Big Tech is too powerful, it’s also strange to sometimes ask companies to fix what we don’t like in the world.Corporate action It is not a substitute for effective government..
(For more information on the limits of corporate social responsibility, please read below. This work From Emily Stewart of Vox, and this by Binyamin Appelbaum, a member of the New York Times editorial board. )
I understand why this happens: many Americans unconfident Governments can effectively address major issues such as public security, health care and climate change. Companies are often more accountable than elected leaders and respond to people’s demands.
While tech companies, including Facebook, are fighting government regulations, they also say they need to fix the problems they create.
I think I talked with Zephyr Teachout, a left-wing lawyer who is a special adviser to the Attorney General of New York a few years ago, about the historical anomalies of people who are now appealing to businesses for social and political change. I’m continuing.
We discussed a large-scale protest in Britain at the turn of the 19th century, written by Teachout. Protesters angry at the use of slavery by sugar producers demanded that the government abolish slavery rather than companies changing their behavior.
The lack of trust in the American government creates strange sights. Concerns about the use of corporate data in proceedings, including abortion, and the use of American data from the TikTok app by the Chinese government are annoying to elected leaders and the general public. It can be a problem. In the United States, there are country restrictions on the data that businesses collect, which can change how easy it is for businesses to sell or share that data with almost everyone.
Google said last week that it would begin removing location information when people visit certain sensitive locations such as addiction treatment facilities and abortion providers. China-based TikTok’s parent company sought to block the app from China’s digital borders.
Loose restrictions on US data haven’t changed yet. But TikTok and Google do.
Can be opened by a Windows technician
The internet can sometimes be great! Ontech’s editor, Hannah Inver, saw her child unleash his wonderful taste for interiors. I would like to hear from you how technology was a window to personal discovery and joy.
My 8-year-old boy recently came across a design app while playing on a Chromebook since he was in a remote school. I had him download it, and he designed his first living room. And he wanted to design more and more.
A friend told me that his son was playing on Google and learned about upcoming competitions for those who like origami. He asked his mother about it, and she took him to it. It was mostly an adult, but he exploded.
These experiences made me think more about how the Internet can open the world to children than my parents thought or knew about their existence.
As an on-tech reader, I would like to hear from you about recent technology experiences that have helped you and your family broaden your horizons. Send an email to ontech@nytimes.com to share your story and enter “techwonders” in the subject line. The selection may be published in future newsletters.
Before going …
-
Startup money is hidden: Investment in US technology start-ups has fallen by 23% in the last three months. This is the decline in funding since 2019, reported by my colleague Erin Griffith. It’s also another sign of a freeze on money coming in and out of young businesses.
-
Internet discount stores have lost that touch: Wish has captured the hearts of shoppers and some investors betting that the company’s cheap tchotchkes will become e-commerce superstars. However, filling the Internet with ads for Wish products stopped working, and the company sometimes used deceptive experiments to drive customers away, my colleagues Tiffany Hsu and Sapuna Maheshwari wrote.
-
Can the country be identified by the color of the soil? Colleague Keren Browning writes about people who use Google Street View to get a glimpse of random places in the world and guess the country as soon as possible. The best players can locate it within seconds.
Embrace this
A woman at a county fair in southwestern Virginia Win in over 25 categories In a contest that includes the top three sauerkrauts, jellies, jams, pies, and cookies.People will not rest Until they find her..
We want to hear from you. What do you think of this newsletter and what else do you want us to explore?You can reach us ontech@nytimes.com.
If you haven’t already put this newsletter in your inbox, Please sign up here..You can read again Past OnTech column..
