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> Basically, Facebook should be taxed for the externalities they create like fake news All economic activity produces externalities, positive and negative. Tha
by cgmg 9y ago
> Basically, Facebook should be taxed for the externalities they create like fake news
All economic activity produces externalities, positive and negative. That doesn't mean we should increase taxes and subsidies on everything.
- TeMPOraL 9y agoI think parent's point is that "fake news" is a negative externality of the same kind as pollution. Which it isn't. Pollution is a well-defined term; you can identify particular offending substances or disposal methods by their impact on humans and their environment. There are precise things that can be taxed to discourage their use. "Fake news", on the other hand, is a pretty uniform spectrum, from the most blatant falsehoods to the stuff CNN and NYT write. It's hard to even agree on where to draw the line (personally, I'd draw the line at "journalism should begin and end at stating verifiable facts + opinions on those facts clearly marked as opinion", but that's an extreme/minority position), and there's no way to start quantifying impact.