From c10541bf30690d68133de218e1cc9e0d7226a610ea76bd33b3b31e8a1cec0f8d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Nicholas Johnson Date: Mon, 7 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Subject: Change "polyopoly" to "monopoly" I misunderstood the meaning of "polyopoly". --- content/entry/manufacturing-agreement.md | 4 ++-- 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-) (limited to 'content') diff --git a/content/entry/manufacturing-agreement.md b/content/entry/manufacturing-agreement.md index f7ec502..b3809a9 100644 --- a/content/entry/manufacturing-agreement.md +++ b/content/entry/manufacturing-agreement.md @@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ Tech CEOs smugly respond "You don't have to agree to the ToS and PP. Just don't So pick your poison. Will it be Birdshitter, Discord, Facecrook, Tinder, WeShat, or WhatsApp? You could use the [fediverse](https://fediverse.party/) which isn't poison, but it has very few users compared to big tech surveillance platforms. If you're trying to meet people, you could also meet with people in real life. But then you're limited to the subset of locals who still go out in person to meet, which seems to be a shrinking demographic especially since the pandemic hit. The social direction the world seems to be going if it's not already there is give in to big tech or be a hermit. Why is the digital world like this? ## Polyopolies Prevent Diverse ToS and PPs -Well the reason not agreeing to certain ToS or PPs is impractical is because corporations are allowed to grow too large. They become polyopolies too powerful to refuse. Governments should solve the manufactured agreement by creating a tax system which disincentivizes corporations becoming too big. With smaller corporations, there would be more competition. With more competition, users would have more options of which ToS and PPs they agree to. +Well the reason not agreeing to certain ToS or PPs is impractical is because corporations are allowed to grow too large. They become monopolies too powerful to refuse. Governments should solve the manufactured agreement by creating a tax system which disincentivizes corporations becoming too big. With smaller corporations, there would be more competition. With more competition, users would have more options of which ToS and PPs they agree to. ## Governments Lack Strong Consumer Privacy Laws Another thing governments should do that attacks the heart of the problem is create laws which provide strong consumer privacy protections. The most objectionable sections of PPs of online services have to do with data collection. By creating strong consumer privacy laws, harmful PPs would become illegal and unenforceable. @@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ Another problem is courts consider [clickwrap agreements](https://www.eff.org/wp When the expensive corporate lawyer says "You didn't have to agree", this should be legally challengeable. If it can be proven in court that the user had no practical choice to click the button, the judge should treat the agreement as manufactured, not real legal assent. Of course it would still be up to the judge to decide what counts as "practical" and how far that extends. Obviously corporations still need a way to create legally binding ToS contracts, but "sign this or you can't function in life" can't be considered assent to the terms of the contract. -This may help redecentralize polyopolies since ToS and PP agreements protect service providing corporations. Corporations wouldn't want those agreements to fail to hold up in court due to the impracticality of refusing to sign them. This may also prevent corporate power from encroaching upon institutions owned by the state (E.g. public universities). It directly incentivizes corporations to ensure users have a real choice in accepting or not accepting. +This may help redecentralize monopolies since ToS and PP agreements protect service providing corporations. Corporations wouldn't want those agreements to fail to hold up in court due to the impracticality of refusing to sign them. This may also prevent corporate power from encroaching upon institutions owned by the state (E.g. public universities). It directly incentivizes corporations to ensure users have a real choice in accepting or not accepting. # Manufacturing Consent Now that I've said everything I want to say about agreement to ToS and PPs in the context of online services, I want to end this post by tying it all together with Noam Chomsky's concept in his 1988 book Manufacturing Consent. Specifically, I want to talk about how social media "services" are particularly dangerous. -- cgit v1.2.3