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Facebook/WhatsApp is trying to have it both ways. Either it's a for profit private company (and it can do things like that), or it's an important communication

by rmc 11y ago

Facebook/WhatsApp is trying to have it both ways. Either it's a for profit private company (and it can do things like that), or it's an important communication medium for a democracy (and access should be open). When it comes to blocking telegram, Facebook/WhatsApp wants to be the provate for profit company. When some judge blocks WhatsApp, suddenly they're an important service for a democracy.

AnthonyMouse 11y ago
> Either it's a for profit private company (and it can do things like that), or it's an important communication medium for a democracy (and access should be open). Blocking telegram is classic bone-headed stupidity. It's like an invitation for government lawyers to burrow under your skin and lay their eggs. But inconsistency only shows that one of their positions is wrong, and it's that one.
- blowski 11y ago
  Paying an appropriate amount of tax in the countries in which it operates might be another. All that democracy stuff costs money and has to be paid for somehow.
  - AnthonyMouse 11y ago
    It isn't a company's job to pay more taxes than it owes, it's a country's job to set sensible taxes. Stop trying to tax "corporate income" for multinational entities that can trivially shift profits into other countries, and instead tax the thing they actually do in your country. And if they don't actually do anything in your country, what makes them owe you anything?
    - blowski 11y ago
      But Facebook can't have it both ways. They can't pay almost no tax and then call themselves defenders of democracy.
_ak 11y ago
Facebook refuses to cooperate with German authorities when it comes to investigating and prosecuting death threats through their platform, while at the same time, they want to do advertising business in Germany. They'd simply like to have all the money and none of the responsibility and accountability.

by rmc 11y ago

AnthonyMouse 11y ago

> Either it's a for profit private company (and it can do things like that), or it's an important communication medium for a democracy (and access should be open). Blocking telegram is classic bone-headed stupidity. It's like an invitation for government lawyers to burrow under your skin and lay their eggs. But inconsistency only shows that one of their positions is wrong, and it's that one.

blowski 11y ago
Paying an appropriate amount of tax in the countries in which it operates might be another. All that democracy stuff costs money and has to be paid for somehow.
- AnthonyMouse 11y ago
  It isn't a company's job to pay more taxes than it owes, it's a country's job to set sensible taxes. Stop trying to tax "corporate income" for multinational entities that can trivially shift profits into other countries, and instead tax the thing they actually do in your country. And if they don't actually do anything in your country, what makes them owe you anything?
  - blowski 11y ago
    But Facebook can't have it both ways. They can't pay almost no tax and then call themselves defenders of democracy.

_ak 11y ago

Facebook refuses to cooperate with German authorities when it comes to investigating and prosecuting death threats through their platform, while at the same time, they want to do advertising business in Germany. They'd simply like to have all the money and none of the responsibility and accountability.