7 ms·

AT&T and Bell were broken up, but that was because it was a monopoly.[1] I don't think Facebook is a monopoly though. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakup

by b11484 8y ago

AT&T and Bell were broken up, but that was because it was a monopoly.[1] I don't think Facebook is a monopoly though. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakup_of_the_Bell_System https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakup_of_the_Bell_System

joker3 8y ago
Who are Facebook's competitors?
- penagwin 8y ago
  What is Facebook's market? Social media or advertising? If the main "clients/users" are the typical average Joe, and the service is free, does it count as a monopoly (At least in terms of anti-trust laws)?
- strictnein 8y ago
  That it doesn't own? In the US you could probably could argue: LinkedIn, Twitter, Snapchat, Youtube, Pinterest, Reddit, Tumblr. I be they would also argue Google, which would be true from an advertising perspective.
ConceitedCode 8y ago
Also Standard oil back in 1911[1]. Those are the only 2 cases I'm aware of in US history. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Oil#Breakup https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Oil#Breakup
evv 8y ago
It does effectively have a monopoly on online identity. Organizations like Uber and Airbnb depend on FB accounts for trust. But I think the most effective way to take down the monopoly isn't by regulating, because it may hurt consumers. Instead the government could help make FB obsolete. If people could "login with us.gov" instead of "login with Facebook", I think most people would.
- jerkstate 8y ago
  If there's any dependency it's a soft dependency. I don't have FB and I use uber and airbnb.
  - evv 8y ago
    It may be harder as a host/driver, but you're right that they may have fixed that dependency. Back in 2008, it was one of the main ways you could trust the car or house that you're about to step into.
- mschuster91 8y ago
  > If people could "login with us.gov" instead of "login with Facebook", I think most people would. Oh hell no. Bad enough that Facebook knows every step I do on the Internet thanks to ubiquitous trackers - but the government? No way. This is China's Social Credit Score waiting to happen.
- porpoisely 8y ago
  I've never had a facebook account. My online identity is fine thank you. Also, why should the government help make any private company "obsolete"? Do you really want the government deciding which private company succeeds or not? So from 2008 to 2016, obama gets to decide which company gets to exist. Now you want Trump to decide which companies exist? I can't believe there are people here actually advocating for government control of the private sector. I'd rather not use a "gov" account for anything but "gov" related things. Nevermind that the government tends to be a bureaucratic mess, it's also a major privacy and security problem. Facebook is a spying and data collecting behemoth. Lets solve it by having the government spy on us. When did the hacker ethos become "government is the solution for everything" so "let's trust government"? If we wanted a government login for everything, we'd already have it. I don't know if you are american or not, but I'm willing to bet that most of us don't want a government login or identity for the internet.
  - reaperducer 8y ago
    I've never had a facebook account. My online identity is fine thank you. How's your shadow profile? https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/11/17225482/facebook-shadow-profiles-zuckerberg-congress-data-privacy https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/11/17225482/facebook-shadow-...

by b11484 8y ago

joker3 8y ago

Who are Facebook's competitors?

penagwin 8y ago
What is Facebook's market? Social media or advertising? If the main "clients/users" are the typical average Joe, and the service is free, does it count as a monopoly (At least in terms of anti-trust laws)?
strictnein 8y ago
That it doesn't own? In the US you could probably could argue: LinkedIn, Twitter, Snapchat, Youtube, Pinterest, Reddit, Tumblr. I be they would also argue Google, which would be true from an advertising perspective.

ConceitedCode 8y ago

Also Standard oil back in 1911[1]. Those are the only 2 cases I'm aware of in US history. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Oil#Breakup https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Oil#Breakup

evv 8y ago

It does effectively have a monopoly on online identity. Organizations like Uber and Airbnb depend on FB accounts for trust. But I think the most effective way to take down the monopoly isn't by regulating, because it may hurt consumers. Instead the government could help make FB obsolete. If people could "login with us.gov" instead of "login with Facebook", I think most people would.

jerkstate 8y ago
If there's any dependency it's a soft dependency. I don't have FB and I use uber and airbnb.
- evv 8y ago
  It may be harder as a host/driver, but you're right that they may have fixed that dependency. Back in 2008, it was one of the main ways you could trust the car or house that you're about to step into.
mschuster91 8y ago
> If people could "login with us.gov" instead of "login with Facebook", I think most people would. Oh hell no. Bad enough that Facebook knows every step I do on the Internet thanks to ubiquitous trackers - but the government? No way. This is China's Social Credit Score waiting to happen.
porpoisely 8y ago
I've never had a facebook account. My online identity is fine thank you. Also, why should the government help make any private company "obsolete"? Do you really want the government deciding which private company succeeds or not? So from 2008 to 2016, obama gets to decide which company gets to exist. Now you want Trump to decide which companies exist? I can't believe there are people here actually advocating for government control of the private sector. I'd rather not use a "gov" account for anything but "gov" related things. Nevermind that the government tends to be a bureaucratic mess, it's also a major privacy and security problem. Facebook is a spying and data collecting behemoth. Lets solve it by having the government spy on us. When did the hacker ethos become "government is the solution for everything" so "let's trust government"? If we wanted a government login for everything, we'd already have it. I don't know if you are american or not, but I'm willing to bet that most of us don't want a government login or identity for the internet.
- reaperducer 8y ago
  I've never had a facebook account. My online identity is fine thank you. How's your shadow profile? https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/11/17225482/facebook-shadow-profiles-zuckerberg-congress-data-privacy https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/11/17225482/facebook-shadow-...