Google, Facebook domination has RUINED the internet for everyone, warns EPIC report
by: Isabelle Z.
NaturalNews.com
Thursday, June 21, 2018
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) warned in a statement to Congress that today’s internet is simply not sustainable thanks to the unsavory practices of internet bigwigs Facebook and Google. These two tech firms have so much power over the flow of information, they say, that internet users’ privacy is essentially “under assault.”
After all, their entire business model depends on them obtaining vast amounts of data about people to feed their algorithms. Their behavioral advertising targets consumers directly, using deep profiles of them and algorithms that look at race, religion, age, nationality, and other aspects of a person. They say that while ads should give people information about products, Facebook and Google are now giving advertisers information about consumers; these days, the consumers are the product.
MIT Technology Review points out that the combined market capitalization of the two firms was approximately equivalent to the GDP of Italy at $2 trillion. Three of every four dollars that are spent on digital advertising in the U.S. go to one of the two companies. Their constant refinement of their services and products attracts more users, which gives them even more data, fueling a never-ending cycle. Other businesses that start to look like a threat are quickly snapped up by the firms – for example, Facebook bought WhatsApp and Instagram.
Their reach goes way too far
EPIC also mentioned the practice of foreign advertisers buying political ads with the aim of undermining democratic elections. Washington state recently sued Google and Facebook for violations of their state’s campaign finance law due to their failure to maintain information about the buyers of election ads. This came in the wake of criticism across the board for the firms’ role in selling political ads; it was revealed that Russians bought ads using fake names with the aim of influencing American voters in the presidential election.
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