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Private companies are not obligated to offer services, and in the US the government cannot compel private companies to do so (except rare circumstances). "We wi
by tomnipotent 2y ago
Private companies are not obligated to offer services, and in the US the government cannot compel private companies to do so (except rare circumstances). "We will stop offering services if X does not happen" is not coercive, it's an ultimatum. Companies should not be expected to operate in a market hostile to them.
- gmueckl 2y agoWhat about privatized utilities then? What prevents e.g. electricity or phone companies from shutting down when they don't like some rules? It's a little more nuanced than "all or nothing".
- taberiand 2y agoGood point. Nationalise essential services
- alephnan 2y agoBut TikTok is an entertainment, not utility, company
- loa_in_ 2y agoBecause it's endlessly profitable and very low risk to run a utility, the company's board is... unlikely to ever decide to do a stunt. For what payoff?
- kelnos 2y agoLosing TikTok for a few hours or a day is perhaps going to make TikTok users more angry at the government than TikTok. Losing electricity or phone service for a day is going to make people more angry at the utility or phone company, regardless of why the shutdown has happened. And if a utility threatened to shut down service instead of complying with a new government regulation, you can bet the government would immediately jail anyone involved in that decision.
- tomnipotent 2y agoCovered under "except rare circumstances". Regulations for utilities, telecommunications, transportation, and financial services are the exception and not the rule.
- golly_ned 2y agoIn cases like AT&T where they provide telecommunications infrastructure for much of the country, threatening a shutdown is coercive.