Big tech companies like Google owning data and having no rivals or regulations to check them
Tech Monopolies (27)
Find narratives by ethical themes or by technologies.
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- 3 min
- TechCrunch
- 2020
This short article details a pledge inspired by the practices of the French government for tech monopolies to be more responsible in the areas of taxes and privacy. As of 2020, many have signed onto this initiative.
- TechCrunch
- 2020
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- 3 min
- TechCrunch
- 2020
Dozens of tech companies sign ‘Tech for Good Call’ following French initiative
This short article details a pledge inspired by the practices of the French government for tech monopolies to be more responsible in the areas of taxes and privacy. As of 2020, many have signed onto this initiative.
Discussion Prompts:
What does accountability for tech monopolies look like? Who should offer robust challenges to these companies, and who actually has the power to do so?
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- 7 min
- Wired
- 2020
As different levels of the U.S government have introduced and passed bills regulating or banning the use of facial recognition technologies, tech monopolies such as Amazon and IBM have become important lobbying agents in these conversations. It seems that most larger groups are on different pages in terms of how exactly face recognition algorithms should be limited or used, especially given their negative impacts on privacy when used for surveillance.
- Wired
- 2020
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- 7 min
- Wired
- 2020
Congress Is Eyeing Face Recognition, and Companies Want a Say
As different levels of the U.S government have introduced and passed bills regulating or banning the use of facial recognition technologies, tech monopolies such as Amazon and IBM have become important lobbying agents in these conversations. It seems that most larger groups are on different pages in terms of how exactly face recognition algorithms should be limited or used, especially given their negative impacts on privacy when used for surveillance.
Discussion Prompts:
Can and should the private sector be regulated in its use of facial recognition technologies? How is it that tech monopolies might hold so much sway with government officials, and how can this be addressed? Do the benefits of facial recognition, such as convenience at the airport, listed at the end of the article make enough of a case against a complete ban of the technology, or do the bad applications ultimately outweigh the good ones? What would the ideal bill look like in terms of limiting or banning facial recognition?
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- 15 min
- ARS Technica
- 2019
Facebook’s cryptocurrency, Libra, is facing problems and will take a long time to develop. While it is attempting to mirror the bitcoin blockchain network in its ideology and functionality, there are significant barriers to reaching this vision, the most prominent of which being that its existence as a subsidy of Facebook means there cannot be decentralized control or accountability.
- ARS Technica
- 2019
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- 15 min
- ARS Technica
- 2019
There’s a big problem with Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency
Facebook’s cryptocurrency, Libra, is facing problems and will take a long time to develop. While it is attempting to mirror the bitcoin blockchain network in its ideology and functionality, there are significant barriers to reaching this vision, the most prominent of which being that its existence as a subsidy of Facebook means there cannot be decentralized control or accountability.
Discussion Prompts:
What are the differences between Bitcoin and Libra cryptocurrencies? How does Libra embody technocratic control in a way that Bitcoin does not? Should this new cryptocurrency network be above governmental regulation? What would be the consequences of this?
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- 41 min
- The New York Times
- 2021
In this podcast episode, Ellen Pao, an early whistleblower on gender bias and racial discrimination in the tech industy, tells the story of her experience suing the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins for gender discrimination. The episode then moves into a discussion of how Silicon Valley, and the tech industry more broadly, is dominated by white men who do not try to deeply understand or move toward racial or gender equity; instead, they focus on PR moves. Specifically, she reveals that social media companies and CEOs can be particularly performative when it comes to addressing racial or gender inequality, focusing on case studies rather than breeding a new, more fair culture.
- The New York Times
- 2021
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- 41 min
- The New York Times
- 2021
Sexism and Racism in Silicon Valley
In this podcast episode, Ellen Pao, an early whistleblower on gender bias and racial discrimination in the tech industy, tells the story of her experience suing the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins for gender discrimination. The episode then moves into a discussion of how Silicon Valley, and the tech industry more broadly, is dominated by white men who do not try to deeply understand or move toward racial or gender equity; instead, they focus on PR moves. Specifically, she reveals that social media companies and CEOs can be particularly performative when it comes to addressing racial or gender inequality, focusing on case studies rather than breeding a new, more fair culture.
Discussion Prompts:
How did Silicon Valley and the technology industry come to be dominated by white men? How can this be addressed, and how can the culture change? How can social networks in particular be re-imagined to open up doors to more diverse leadership and workplace cultures?
Movie Title:
Sway: Silicon Valley's Thin Skins and Giant Egos-
- 5 min
- Kinolab
- 2015
In this Steve Jobs biopic, he is depicted as a man whose ego and pride regarding his work obscures his ability to treat others with respect and kindness. Only after seeing his daughter Lisa make art using MacPaint does Steve Jobs consider providing more financial support to her and Chrisann, his ex-wife. He initially argues that he is not beholden to this financial support, given that his company already donates computers to less privileged schools.
- Kinolab
- 2015
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- 5 min
- Kinolab
- 2015
Child Computer Use
In this Steve Jobs biopic, he is depicted as a man whose ego and pride regarding his work obscures his ability to treat others with respect and kindness. Only after seeing his daughter Lisa make art using MacPaint does Steve Jobs consider providing more financial support to her and Chrisann, his ex-wife. He initially argues that he is not beholden to this financial support, given that his company already donates computers to less privileged schools.
Discussion Prompts:
How can children in particular use digital technologies to express their creativity? Do digital technologies enhance or limit creativity in art? Whose responsibility is it to distribute educational technologies to under-resourced areas? Why is this action essential? How can tech monopolies, and individual tech giants, be more responsible with their massive amounts of wealth?
Movie Title:
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- 9 min
- Kinolab
- 2010
On a fall night in 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer programming genius Mark Zuckerberg sits down at his computer and heatedly begins working on a new idea. In a fury of blogging and programming, what begins in his dorm room as a small site among friends soon becomes a global social network and a revolution in communication. A mere six years and 500 million friends later, Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in history… but for this entrepreneur, success leads to both personal and legal complications.
- Kinolab
- 2010
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- 9 min
- Kinolab
- 2010
Facebook Origins and Control Over Photos
On a fall night in 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer programming genius Mark Zuckerberg sits down at his computer and heatedly begins working on a new idea. In a fury of blogging and programming, what begins in his dorm room as a small site among friends soon becomes a global social network and a revolution in communication. A mere six years and 500 million friends later, Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in history… but for this entrepreneur, success leads to both personal and legal complications.
Discussion Prompts:
With increased sophistication of hacking, are anyone’s photos ever private in a digital space? When personal photos are uploaded to digital platforms for one purpose, how can users ensure that they are not used for another purpose? Has Facebook truly evolved beyond its roots of using photos to make binary judgements about people, or will this “hot or not” program always be a part of its character? How are women in particular targeted and impacted by privacy of photos? How does this narrative highlight some of the problems with the use of Facebook today? How did Facebook’s “coolness,” along with its apparent lack of cost for use, help it corner markets and make unfathomable profits?