7 ms·

Do you mean to say you anticipate Facebook publicly stating that they refuse to comply with the law? I don't think that's liable to last very long in any count

Do you mean to say you anticipate Facebook publicly stating that they refuse to comply with the law? I don't think that's liable to last very long in any country where they have a physical presence.

arethuza 8y ago
More to the point, they have a legal entity in the UK: https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/06331310 https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/06331310 NB Pretty normal for a multinational to have at least one (and sometimes many) legal entities in each country where it has physical operations (offices, employees etc.).
- sevensor 8y ago
  That's a fair point. I emphasized physical presence because governments exert their power within a physical space that they control. If you defy the power of the state within its own territory, you're in for a bad time. But you're right that there's no need for it to come to guns and muscle when their ability to make money depends on their compliance with local laws.
Rooster61 8y ago
No, I don't see this happening any time soon. But it isn't outside the realm of possibility that something could indeed happen, possibly before the turn of the next century.
flyinglizard 8y ago
They don't need to do anything as explicit as that. They can wield their vast power in much subtler ways - promoting competing political content, blackouts, etc. Control the feed, control the people. Politicians will have to fall in line.
- sevensor 8y ago
  Exactly, which is why I think a literal flipping of the bird to authority is beyond pointless from FB's perspective. They can continue to work contrary to the interests of the state with a wink and a nod.
braythwayt 8y ago
A more likely outcome is that while FB gives a "soft" finger to the government by questioning the law, anti-government disinformation magically accelerates and floods Facebook, causing the formerly loyal citizens to believe that the government is controlled by shadowy Jewish financiers, and that the government's attacks on FB are an attempt to suppress this vital free speech, &c. Sigh. I'm old enough to remember when saying something like this earned you a free tinfoil hat and the condemnation of your saner friends.
- 420codebro 8y ago
  Why are 95%+ of all media executives Jewish? Real stumper.
- maneesh 8y ago
  to be fair, that still sounds insane to me

Do you mean to say you anticipate Facebook publicly stating that they refuse to comply with the law? I don't think that's liable to last very long in any country where they have a physical presence.

arethuza 8y ago

More to the point, they have a legal entity in the UK: https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/06331310 https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/06331310 NB Pretty normal for a multinational to have at least one (and sometimes many) legal entities in each country where it has physical operations (offices, employees etc.).

sevensor 8y ago
That's a fair point. I emphasized physical presence because governments exert their power within a physical space that they control. If you defy the power of the state within its own territory, you're in for a bad time. But you're right that there's no need for it to come to guns and muscle when their ability to make money depends on their compliance with local laws.

Rooster61 8y ago

No, I don't see this happening any time soon. But it isn't outside the realm of possibility that something could indeed happen, possibly before the turn of the next century.

flyinglizard 8y ago

They don't need to do anything as explicit as that. They can wield their vast power in much subtler ways - promoting competing political content, blackouts, etc. Control the feed, control the people. Politicians will have to fall in line.

sevensor 8y ago
Exactly, which is why I think a literal flipping of the bird to authority is beyond pointless from FB's perspective. They can continue to work contrary to the interests of the state with a wink and a nod.

braythwayt 8y ago

A more likely outcome is that while FB gives a "soft" finger to the government by questioning the law, anti-government disinformation magically accelerates and floods Facebook, causing the formerly loyal citizens to believe that the government is controlled by shadowy Jewish financiers, and that the government's attacks on FB are an attempt to suppress this vital free speech, &c. Sigh. I'm old enough to remember when saying something like this earned you a free tinfoil hat and the condemnation of your saner friends.

420codebro 8y ago
Why are 95%+ of all media executives Jewish? Real stumper.
maneesh 8y ago
to be fair, that still sounds insane to me