Should BigTech be collectivized on the premise that it infringes upon the right to self-determination?
Approximately 80% of corporate wealth is being held by just about 10% of companies. Many of these new superstars are technology companies, with the so-called BigTech titans leading the way, that now dominate every other sector of capital and are aiming higher still. Although these companies have offered us tremendous benefits and opportunities for further progress, it has become clear that when building something so great – both in terms of size and power -, things are bound to get messy. An illustrative example of this is the BigTech titan Facebook. With over two billion users today, Facebook impacts our social, economic and political lives in an unprecedented way, for better or for worse, leading some to believe that its actions are infringing upon our fundamental right to self-determination.
Bearing this in mind, a collective action lawsuit was initiated to force legal recognition of Facebook as a public domain that should be under ownership and control of its users. In other words, it urges for the collectivization of Facebook. The initiators believe that only through collective action we can turn Facebook into a collective property. They urge people to read their indictment against Facebook, and consider joining as co-signatory to this lawsuit that will be submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva in 2021. For more information about this initiative, check out their website at https://collectivize.org/.
In this episode of The Law of Tech Podcast, I discussed the ‘Collectivize Facebook’ initiative with its initiators, Jonas Staal (artist) and Jan Fermon (lawyer).
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