Trump allies propose nationalizing Facebook, Google data
After President Donald Trump railed against Google for an anti-Trump news bias last week, his allies are arguing for a nationalization of data held by major American technology companies, raising questions about the role trusts and fiduciaries could play in the data economy.
“There’s a thought that given the enormity of these corporations, and this is a public square today,” said Fox News host Laura Ingraham on her show last Friday. “This is the equivalent of what we used to see in the old town square was people with a bull horn. And so could there be a movement to treat them more like public utilities, so they have some quasi-government oversight of these entities?”
The comments come days after Trump tweeted that Google search results were “rigged” against him and other conservatives. While there are demonstrable biases in Google search results, the idea that Google Search shows a partisan bias has been roundly debunked.
Google search results for “Trump News” shows only the viewing/reporting of Fake News Media. In other words, they have it RIGGED, for me & others, so that almost all stories & news is BAD. Fake CNN is prominent. Republican/Conservative & Fair Media is shut out. Illegal? 96% of….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 28, 2018
In an economy where commentators often refer to data as the “new oil,” ex-White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, a self-proclaimed economic nationalist, laid out a plan for the state to take control of the world’s newest commodity during a CNN interview last week.
“I think you take [the data] away from the companies. All that data they have is put in a public trust. They can use it. And people can opt in and opt out. That trust is run by an independent board of directors.
“It just can’t be that [big tech companies are] the sole proprietors of this data … I think this is a public good,” he said.
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