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What is the specific liability you are claiming these companies share? Privacy breaches? Manipulation? What does corrupt dot com look like? I don't know, I'm no

What is the specific liability you are claiming these companies share? Privacy breaches? Manipulation? What does corrupt dot com look like? I don't know, I'm not sure I've really known of one. Do you know of one? What do they do that is a $1bn+ liability?

waterlesscloud 16y ago
Simply apply the accusations against BP to the realms in which these companies operate. There's a lot more than privacy at stake here. The theory is that BP cut technical and engineering corners for the sake of saving time, aka profit. All of these companies could do the same, to great potential public harm. Say Windows ships with a flaw that causes all machines to shut down at noon on a certain day. Or Apple ships an entire generation of phone that puts out a high level of radiation in certain circumstances. And so on. Amazon sells computing instances. Google has fingers in nearly every pie out there. These companies can cause significant worldwide harm, financial and in some cases physical. What if they cut corners to meet goals and endanger people as a result. Do you really believe this will never happen?
- silentOpen 16y ago
  You make good points. I don't believe that it will never happen but I'm not sure something of that magnitude has happened yet and much of our current tort law would cover the liability, I believe. I am very likely wrong, though, and we will have to wait and see (and then take governmental action if necessary). Internet companies are a relatively new beast with relatively poorly understood liabilities. My problem with the BP situation is that the risks were fairly well understand as oil is a mature industry. I expect BP to be fully liable for their negligence just as I would expect Apple to be fully liable if they released a radioactive phone. Do you think BP is being held fully liable?

waterlesscloud 16y ago

Simply apply the accusations against BP to the realms in which these companies operate. There's a lot more than privacy at stake here. The theory is that BP cut technical and engineering corners for the sake of saving time, aka profit. All of these companies could do the same, to great potential public harm. Say Windows ships with a flaw that causes all machines to shut down at noon on a certain day. Or Apple ships an entire generation of phone that puts out a high level of radiation in certain circumstances. And so on. Amazon sells computing instances. Google has fingers in nearly every pie out there. These companies can cause significant worldwide harm, financial and in some cases physical. What if they cut corners to meet goals and endanger people as a result. Do you really believe this will never happen?

silentOpen 16y ago
You make good points. I don't believe that it will never happen but I'm not sure something of that magnitude has happened yet and much of our current tort law would cover the liability, I believe. I am very likely wrong, though, and we will have to wait and see (and then take governmental action if necessary). Internet companies are a relatively new beast with relatively poorly understood liabilities. My problem with the BP situation is that the risks were fairly well understand as oil is a mature industry. I expect BP to be fully liable for their negligence just as I would expect Apple to be fully liable if they released a radioactive phone. Do you think BP is being held fully liable?