Facebook vs regulation: we exist nowhere and everywhere, all at once

boing
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Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/04/19/schroedingers-zuck.html

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Facebook vs regulation: we exist nowhere and everywhere, all at once

Facebook is also all-powerful, but not responsible for anything bad that happens. Oh, wait, that’s god.

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When you have enough money you get to have your cake and eat it, too. Even when the cake is a lie.

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Cory - I don’t disagree with the central distinction you are highlighting regarding these tech firms (non US status for tax, US-status for privacy) but there are a couple of inaccuracies that bear mention:

  • Facebook’s Ireland HQ is far from a ‘shed’. Have you ever visited/seen it? Whatever else you may say, Facebook has a substantial presence in the country (and a very large workforce) and are not simply a shelf company in a lawyers office.
  • There is no lawless tax regime in Ireland. The corporate tax rate is lower that many OECD and EU countries (although not as low when incentives offered by other nations are factored in) but to characterize the regulatory environment in that way in your article is wholly incorrect. Everyone pays tax.
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Cory, as much as I agree Facebook should be regulated in how it treats its produ- er, users, I’m also reminded of this:

“Governments of the Industrial World, you weary giants of flesh and steel, I come from Cyberspace, the new home of Mind. On behalf of the future, I ask you of the past to leave us alone. You are not welcome among us. You have no sovereignty where we gather.”

There’s an inconsistency to be resolved here.

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For Facebook it’s a (Hi-Ho) Silver Lining, all the way.

(“You’re everywhere and nowhere, baby. That’s where you’re at.”)

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Facebook is everywhere and nowhere…properties also attributed to God.

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Yeah, except that the GDPR still applies to them, both to any part of them, wherever located, that collects data on Europeans, and to any part of them physically located in Europe. And just because Facebook put something in an EULA doesn’t mean that the US and/or EU regulators are going to buy it.

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Along with the changes made to comply with GDPR, they’ve been enhancing their bricks and mortar presence too:

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So Trump is having success bringing companies back to the US /s

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Let’s hope so.

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