Should Google / Facebook become regulated as utilities?

[xerx]

That's the question surrounding the issue of free speech and these companies' ownership of the commons. If they're regulated as utilities, then their ability to block speech on their platforms (which has happened) falls under the public's control, which might or might not introduce new problems with respect to censorship.

Discuss.

[xerx]

The fundamental problem is that many major corporations (not just in the tech sector) have too much market power.

I'm just old enough to remember the days before Google's dominance when there was a whole market of search engines (Lycos, Yahoo, Ask Jeeves, etc.). It wasn't that bad, though I can see how non-techie people might be annoyed by multiple options, as well as the fact that different search engines might offer different results.

The Economist ran a piece that discusses the problem of mega-corporations in general, as well as the disillusionment with capitalism it has spawned:

https://www.economist.com/leaders/20...ist-revolution

[Muddy]

Maybe but first we need to destroy Comcast.

[Capitalist Pig]

no and utilities shouldn't be regulated either