Google and Facebook are strangling the free press to death. Democracy is the loser | Barry Lynn

As gatekeepers to the news, Google and Facebook pose dangers to even the most successful outlets. Legislators need to speed the process of bringing them to heelAfter Europe’s top monopoly buster Margrethe Vestager fined Google more than $5bn for abusing its dominance over mobile phone technology, it’s tempting to relax about the power of big tech. Not only is there a cop watching these giants, she’s carrying a really big stick.But this week’s firing by the New York Daily News of half the paper’s staff shines a different light on the matter. The reason given by the publisher – a sharp decline in revenue – is largely the result of Google abusing its monopoly over online advertising, in tandem with Facebook. Vestager’s move against Android does nothing to protect the free press in Europe or America. This means it’s time for other regulators and legislators in America and in Europe to speed the process of bringing Google to heel. Related: New York Daily News cuts half of its newsroom staff The number of people working in America’s newsrooms dropped from more than 400,000 in 2001 to fewer than 185,000 today Related: How to fix big tech? We need the right language to describe it first | Marc DaCosta Barry Lynn is the executive director of the Open Markets Institute Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2018-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #big tech #sharp decline #online advertising #newsroom staff #people working

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