Concerns regarding personal data security, its leaks, and the rising 'power' of large IT corporations increasingly trouble not only ordinary internet users but also representatives of various political parties. Some, like proponents of leftist movements, propose radical approaches — from the nationalization of the internet to transforming tech giants into cooperatives. This article discusses the real steps being taken in several countries in this direction. ‘reverse restructuring’ which are being undertaken in a number of countries — in our material today.
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What is the problem, exactly?
Over the past few decades, clear leaders have emerged in the IT market — companies whose names have become household terms, holding a significant (sometimes overwhelming) share in various segments of the IT sphere. Google has more than 90% of the search services market, while the Chrome browser is used on 56% of computers. The situation with Microsoft is similar — about 65% of companies in the EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa) economic region use Office 365. over 90% of the search service market, with the Chrome browser on 56% of computers. The situation with Microsoft is similar—about 65% of companies in the EMEA economic region (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa) with Office 365.
In this setup, there are benefits. Large companies create a significant number of jobs — as reported by CNBC, between 2000 and 2018 Facebook, Alphabet, Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon hired over a million new employees. These businesses accumulate enough resources to conduct large-scale research and development in new, sometimes high-risk areas beyond their core activities. Furthermore, these companies create their own ecosystems, where users can address a wide range of tasks — ordering everything they need, from groceries to technology, on Amazon. Analysts predict that by 2021, Amazon will hold half of the U.S. e-commerce market. According to CNBC, between 2000 and 2018, Facebook, Alphabet, Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon hired over a million new employees. Such businesses accumulate enough resources to not only focus on their core activities but also conduct large-scale research and development in new, sometimes high-risk areas. Furthermore, companies are forming their own ecosystems, where users solve a wide range of tasks—ordering all necessary goods, from groceries to electronics, on Amazon. Analysts predict that by 2021 it will capture half of the American ecommerce market.
Horst Gutmann by 1.27%.
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However, the growing influence of the largest IT businesses raises concerns. The main issue is that companies aggregate vast amounts of personal data. Today, this information has become a commodity and is used for various purposes—from complex predictive analytics systems to mundane targeted advertising. Aggregating large volumes of data in the hands of a single company creates a range of risks for individuals and certain challenges for regulators.
In the autumn of 2017 about the "leak" of account data for 3 billion accounts on Tumblr, Fantasy, and Flickr, owned by Yahoo! The total amount of compensation that the company has pledged to pay is $50 million. And in December 2019, cybersecurity experts discovered a database containing names, phone numbers, and identifiers of 267 million Facebook users.
This situation concerns not only the users themselves but also the governments of certain countries—primarily because they cannot control the data collected by IT companies. This, according to some politicians, "poses a threat to national security."
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In the West, a radical solution to the problem is proposed by supporters of various left-wing and left-radical movements. Among other things, they suggest making large IT companies public-private entities or cooperatives, and treating the global network as communal and government-controlled (much like other territorial resources). The reasoning among the left is as follows: if online services cease to be a "gold mine" and are treated like utilities, the profit motive will diminish—thus reducing the incentive to "exploit" users' personal data. And despite its initial fantastical nature, the movement toward a "common internet" has already begun in some countries.
Infrastructure — for the people
Some states already , enshrining the right to internet access as fundamental. In Spain, access to the web is classified in the same category as telephony. This means that every citizen of the country should have the ability to access the internet regardless of their place of residence. In Greece, this right is even (Article 5A).
Another example is that back in 2000, Estonia for delivering internet to remote regions of the country — villages and farms. According to politicians, the global network is an integral part of human life in the 21st century and should be accessible to everyone.
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Given the increasing importance of the internet — the role it plays in meeting people's basic needs — leftist representatives are calling to make it conditionally free, like television. Earlier this year, the British Labour Party a plan for a massive transition to free fiber-optic internet in its election program. Preliminary estimates suggest the project will cost £20 billion. By the way, the funds for its implementation are planned to be raised through additional taxes on internet giants like Facebook and Google.
In some American cities, internet providers are owned by local authorities and cooperatives. Across the country, around 900 communities their broadband networks — where access to high-speed internet is available to all social strata without exception. The most popular is the city of Chattanooga in Tennessee. In 2010, with the support of a federal grant, local authorities launched a gigabit network for residents. Today, the bandwidth has grown to ten gigabits. The new fiber-optic network is also connected to Chattanooga's energy system, so residents no longer have to manually report their electricity meter readings. Experts claim that the new network helps save up to $50 million from the budget annually.
Similar projects have been implemented — for example, in Thomasville, as well as in rural areas — the southern part of Minnesota. There, RS Fiber is responsible for internet access, which is owned by a cooperative of ten cities and seventeen farms.
Similar ideas to those of socialists are also periodically expressed at the very top of the U.S. government. In early 2018, the administration of Donald Trump The 5G network is state-owned. According to its proponents, this approach will enable faster development of the country's infrastructure, increase its resilience to cyberattacks, and improve the quality of life for the population. However, at the beginning of last year, the idea of nationalizing infrastructure was shelved. . But there is a chance that this issue may be raised again in the future.
Universal, affordable, or even free internet access is an enticing prospect that is unlikely to meet with disapproval. However, alongside hardware and infrastructure, software and applications remain an integral part of the network. Regarding what to do with them, some representatives of socialist and other leftist movements also have particular opinions — we will discuss this in the next material.
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