The rise of super-Internet platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Google has had a far greater impact on the world than anyone imagined. Morally speaking, benefits and righteousness should be equal, power and responsibilities should be matched, and the responsibilities of platform giants should be worthy of their influence.
However, to the disappointment of the world, they only want to take advantage of themselves, unwilling to fulfill their obligations, and just want to eat more, especially Facebook, and eat more and more ugly.
Recently, Facebook blocked all Australian users from viewing and sharing news content on the Facebook platform. Facebook pages of all Australian news sites on the mainland and around the world have been blocked, and the Facebook pages of some important Australian government agencies, including the official accounts of the police, emergency services, health and meteorology, are not properly accessible.
Facebook “blacked” the amicourney Australia, hated the Australian government’s upcoming press bargaining bill, which would force Google and Facebook to pay for news content produced by Australian media. Unlike Facebook’s arbitrary bullying, Google chose to compromise and agreed to pay a certain proportion of the cost of collecting Australian media data and content sharing.
Facebook’s waywardness caused strong dissatisfaction in Australia, and Australian Prime Minister Morrison issued a warning statement. “Facebook’s move to decouple from Australia and cut off the basic information services of Australian health and emergency services on the platform is arrogant and disappointing,” he said in the statement.
Morrison said he would not be intimidated by Facebook, and said that he was discussing with his important ally, Prime Minister Modi of India, to unite to counter Facebook.
Facebook’s wayward behavior has aroused a strong response from international public opinion.” Topics such as deleting Facebook, “Boycott Zuckerberg” and “Facebook We Need to Talk About” became hot topics on Twitter.
Walker, president of the British Press Media Association, believes that the Facebook ban is a typical example of technology monopoly forces acting as bullies who try to maintain their global dominance without considering the citizens and customers they are supposed to serve.
British MP Knight called on lawmakers around the world to let the technology giant “subject”, believing that Facebook seemed to be “testing” for Australia’s “democratic response to news ban”. Former Facebook Australia CEO Scheele slammed the Facebook blockade, accusing Zuckerberg of “money and power” and calling on people to delete Facebook. It can be seen that Facebook has been suffering for a long time.
For a long time, the American Internet giants represented by Facebook, Twitter and Google have been attacking cities and fortresses around the world with their technology, capital advantages and market opportunities, coupled with the escort of American hegemony, playing the vanguard of digital capitalism.
In the name of press freedom and market globalization, they infiltrate the news, business, security and other fields of various countries, forming a giant in the global information market.
Except for a small number of territories that have not been occupied by American Internet giants, other territories have become the “colonials” of American digital capitalism.
In this way, the American Internet giants have become the “digital empire” that dominates the world’s attention and information market. After these giants gain super influence and capital gains, stores bully customers, monopolize the market, bully the market, everything.
It is difficult for them to form an effective constraint on them by traditional power mechanism.
In the eyes of developed countries, even the friendly countries of the United States still “blackmailed”.
It can be seen that in their eyes, only power and profit, and the six relatives do not recognize it.
Such a wayward misconduct is undoubtedly a great deal of the world.
This time, Australia will put a “cage” and “rope” to American Internet giants, intending to suppress the hegemony of Internet giants and protect local news media companies.
But I didn’t expect that Facebook responded so strongly that it directly “pull the brakes and limited the power”. It can be seen that Facebook’s ability is almost more powerful than that of a country.
A super Internet platform actually has the ability to provoke the country and dare to challenge the national power! This is a new challenge facing global politics in the digital age.
Of course, the wayward behavior of Internet giants is not smooth all the way.
These Internet giants will have to bow their heads in front of their interests. They bully and have stronger opponents, and they will choose to compromise.
In 2018, the EU competition regulator fined Google 4.34 billion euros on Google for using its market dominance to suppress competition.
The key depends on the opponent’s strength and strategy. This time, Facebook’s strategy with the Australian government is: tough.
But Australia has not shown weakness. Its attitude and strategy are tough, and it directly tames Internet platforms in a legislative way.
Unless Facebook doesn’t care about the Australian market, chooses to be stubborn to the end, and at worst, withdraws from the Australian market.
But the problem is that Facebook has more than 10 million users in Australia, who have become accustomed to using Facebook and become heavily dependent on it.
Even if Facebook chooses to give up the Australian market, what should users do if they are deeply trapped?! I’m afraid they don’t want to. Therefore, the best way is to negotiate, compromise, and choose a solution that neither side will lose.
Facebook’s move has spawned another question: How do we understand super Internet platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Google? Can you equate them with ordinary enterprises?
I believe that they are not general enterprises, but strategic resources and infrastructures related to the lifeblood of the country and the public interest.
They are a large-scale strategic setting with power amplifier function.
From this perspective, the market activities carried out by Facebook, Twitter and Google are far beyond the market and have important political significance.
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