(This topic is important to us because of Big Media’s propensity for censorship. If they haven’t got round to us yet, just give them some time and more ambitious keeners.)
A number of strategies to limit their power or make them share the wealth are being evaluated, both among governments and private think tanks
A foreseeable difficulty with just repealing Section 230 is that the Reality Czar’s office may be no more likely to support intellectual freedom than the Big Tech moguls it replaces. With centralization comes central control. In any event, companies the size of the Big Techs and Big Social Media often compete on an equal basis of power in many respects with US states and smaller national governments…
Because crackdown-friendly media sources are influential, those who want the freedom to hear the other side must argue for the general concept of freedom of speech more persuasively than would have been necessary generations ago. As many have noted, there is nothing unusual today about people associated with universities or publishers who claim to feel threatened by hearing opposing viewpoints. Or that some even resort to violence to prevent the expression of opinions of which they disapprove. Any strategy aimed at preserving intellectual freedom must take their influence into account.
Some sources advocate just moving away from Big Social Media altogether, in favor of smaller alternatives with, perhaps, fewer ambitions.
News, “Can Big Tech and Big Social Media be reined in?” at Mind Matters News
The reformers’ current challenge is not shortage of strategies for reining in Big Tech and Big Social Media but evaluating their likely effectiveness.
Also: Nevada announces new cities in state to be run by Big Tech Caitlin Bassett: The zones promise technological freedom, but what are the dangers to handing so much political power to big corporations?
Nevada’s governor says that local government is “inadequate” for the fast pace of technological innovation, pointing to Disney World as a model solution.
You may also wish to read:
In Big Tech World: the journalist as censor, hit man, and snitch. Glenn Greenwald looks at a disturbing trend in media toward misrepresentation as well as censorship.
and
Could a Seattle law hobble Amazon’s unaccountable censorship? John West discusses Amazon’s vulnerability in Seattle with Kara McKinney at Tipping Point. Amazon’s recent forays into delisting books based on political considerations could be considered viewpoint discrimination in its home town.