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Letter: 'Big Tech' is not like any other business and must be reined in

The Editor, This decade will reveal the biggest human rights issue of our times is finding a way to protect ourselves from from ‘Big Tech.’ ‘Big Tech’ is monopolistic and powerful and is not “just like any other businesses.
Facebook's headquarters
A giant thumbs-up sign greets visitors to Facebook's headquarters in Menlo Park, California. Photo Lucas Aykroyd

The Editor,

This decade will reveal the biggest human rights issue of our times is finding a way to protect ourselves from from ‘Big Tech.’ 

‘Big Tech’ is monopolistic and powerful and is not “just like any other businesses.” Most people get their news from ‘Big Tech’ and use it for communication. 

I envision legislation that will govern the actions of ‘Big Tech.’ It might be a code of conduct. It will prevent ‘Big Tech’ from things such as political interference, harming people, censorship of legal speech (except for narrow exceptions, such as objectively defensible indecency) and theft of work of others. 

‘Big Tech’ will be required to give notice before acting. An inexpensive, expedited “lay person” challenge process, conducted by a third party, will be available. An alternative would be Big Tech funding consumer groups who would then challenge alleged inappropriate conduct. Fines and making people “whole” would be the consequence of wrong treatment.

Brian Bastien, Coquitlam