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So.. How exactly is "regulation" currently stymieing competitors to Facebook and Google with better privacy protections? Because I can think of quite a lot of

So.. How exactly is "regulation" currently stymieing competitors to Facebook and Google with better privacy protections? Because I can think of quite a lot of reasons not to start a search engine or social network. Yet "regulation" is nowhere on that list, because I can't think of a single one that warrants any concern compared to the technical and market challenges. Take DuckDuckGo as one example of a privacy-focused competitor to the behemoths: Are they loudly complaining that they'd long have dethroned google with their better privacy protections if only regulation X wasn't stopping them? Your list also doesn't make any sense. Computers, entertainment and software seem to be about as regulated as online platforms, in that I can once again not think of any serious regulation in the US that would stop me from making a movie. Pharmaceuticals are generally accepted to be among the most regulated products. Yet I would rate their progress to be somewhat comparable to that of "entertainment". Which isn't really a comparison that makes any sense, but if you can just wing it so can I. It's quite obvious that the vast majority of people think it's a bad idea for political parties to have access to the photos they posted on Facebook just because one of their friends took some quiz. Why, then, should we believe in the magic of the market to find a solution to this clear interest, when we can also avail ourselves of the mechanism invented to solve such collective action problems, namely government? What are the possible downsides to banning invasive advertisement and data analytics by political campaigns, except a mild loss in revenue for the platforms, and whatever loss the campaigns suffer from no longer knowing my sexual orientation?

nickpp 9y ago
Facebook and Google were not the first social network and search engine, respectively. And still they won the market, dethroning established players. I know it's not very intuitive, but free markets and competition work. Unless your freeze them with (usually brain-dead) regulations. Governments have a role, of course, but when you call them to solve everything, to protect us from ourselves and you give them every power imaginable - you are creating a monster. A monster which will step on every right you thought you had and take anything they want from you "for your own good".
- IAmEveryone 9y ago
  Name one specific(!) regulation that has so far stopped you (or anyone else) from offering a Facebook competitor with better privacy.
  - nickpp 9y ago
    I don't know any. And the fact that no competitor with better privacy came along makes me wonder if the public really values privacy as you or me do. But that is not how the regulatory burden kills startups. It's not one specific thing: it's the sum of all of them. Have you started a startup? I have, and I can tell you the toughest part of that was before even deciding! The very though of leaving my cushy job and colleagues kept up at night. Every single fear of some bureaucratic burden I had to obey (on top of technical and marketing challenges) pushed the balance to "no". Every rumor, every tax, every rule I heard about pushed me think this was a bad idea. Any extra task which in itself seems harmless can break the proverbial camel's back...

nickpp 9y ago

Facebook and Google were not the first social network and search engine, respectively. And still they won the market, dethroning established players. I know it's not very intuitive, but free markets and competition work. Unless your freeze them with (usually brain-dead) regulations. Governments have a role, of course, but when you call them to solve everything, to protect us from ourselves and you give them every power imaginable - you are creating a monster. A monster which will step on every right you thought you had and take anything they want from you "for your own good".

IAmEveryone 9y ago
Name one specific(!) regulation that has so far stopped you (or anyone else) from offering a Facebook competitor with better privacy.
- nickpp 9y ago
  I don't know any. And the fact that no competitor with better privacy came along makes me wonder if the public really values privacy as you or me do. But that is not how the regulatory burden kills startups. It's not one specific thing: it's the sum of all of them. Have you started a startup? I have, and I can tell you the toughest part of that was before even deciding! The very though of leaving my cushy job and colleagues kept up at night. Every single fear of some bureaucratic burden I had to obey (on top of technical and marketing challenges) pushed the balance to "no". Every rumor, every tax, every rule I heard about pushed me think this was a bad idea. Any extra task which in itself seems harmless can break the proverbial camel's back...