Social-Media
Why does Big Tech this time not battle Trump publicly
The President of the United States signed an order earlier this week, aimed at crippling many of the strongest internet companies in America. Or, punish them at least.
So what do the most powerful internet companies in the United States have to say?
Not a lot. Not a lot. Or, not much in public at least.
This may mean that they are not very serious about Donald Trump 's threat. Or Donald Trump, they don't want to anger. Or both, both of them.
Yes, Mark Zuckerberg was going to criticize Twitter for the fact-finding of Trump for Fox News before Donald Trump's executive order. It was a great idea to talk to Trump directly, as many hosts and guests in Fox News try.
And Twitter Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey — currently Trump's anti-tech focus — spoke on Twitter.
But Big Tech's remaining? Just a punch.
Google sent a mute statement to reporters yesterday requesting comments from the company: "We have clear policy on content and implement this in a political manner. Our platforms have empowered a broad spectrum of political people and organizations to give them a voice and new ways to reach their public. This would undermine America's economy and its global lead on internet freedom by undermining Section 230.
It's not an arms appeal. However, it was at least ... Something. Something. The order hasn't been pronounced by other technical Giants, including Microsoft , Amazon and Apple.
Again, the order seeks to neutralize or abolish the Decency Act — one of the key legal pillars of the Internet as we know it — in Section 230. Section 230. Section 230 states that technology companies can not be held liable for the majority of things that are placed on their platforms by their users.
Section 230, if you are a "platform" company like Twitter , Facebook or YouTube Google that depends on content generated by the user, is of vital importance to your business.
And for everyone using the Internet, it's generally important to say or find everything they want. So, all of them.
The Order and Tech react this week is a dramatic change since the early days in January 2017 of Trump presidency, when every technology company apparently announced its ferocious opposition to a Trump executive order banning the transportation of seven predominantly Muslim states. Tech officials rallied to denounce the travel ban, promising their staff and customers to fight against a prohibition in court. Google's co-founder, Sergey Brin, even joined San Francisco airport anti-ban protestors.
Now, what else?
Some things I've spoken to according to tech managers. Here are some of the justifications I have heard, not necessarily excluding one another:
- The clearest explanation: Many big technology companies – along with most legal observers – believe that this executive order will not overcome the legal challenges that it faces immediately. Some of them think that Trump is well aware of and carefree about this: he only wants to fight with the technology companies (whether it thinks that it's a fight that a part of his base wants to see, or it distracts him from a pandemic that killed over 100,000 Americans, or both).
- Like all of us, Tech managers also recognized the fact that Trump says everything he doesn't or doesn't want to do. This is different because something he has signed, but this does not mean he will spend much effort to make it happen. This one is different. Says a manager with whom I spoke today: "There is a lot of stuff that we thought was real, with real power behind [Trump]. We have learned. We have learned.
- The 2017 travel ban had an immediate and direct effect on technology companies, employees and families. Theoretically, but not immediately, the executive order this week could do so.
- Although Twitter, Facebook and Youtube — the three main platforms for debate about policy content and speech — are theoretically targeted this week, many executives believe that they are actually aimed at Twitter, because that is the platform that has begun checking and flagging the messages of Trump this week. So this argument goes, if you're not Twitter, why go into a meaningless struggle?
One argument I haven't heard, but am happy to serve: Tech managers, like others business leaders, found it is not publicly fighting Trump and then getting their eye to it in private that is the way to get things done in the Trump administration – or not to do things.
For instance, Apple's Tim Cook seems to be going quite successfully along that line.
But this appears to be all different ways to say the same thing: technology managers no longer take the President of the USA very seriously after three more years. And as long as they don't believe they will become anything more serious, they are willing to withstand Trump's tanning.
If you still want leaders to be publicly presented and condemn bad ideas because it is important to oppose bad ideas before they become — and I am one of those — popular ideas, then this is a disappointing position. And disturbing.
Even before if you have heard something from the era of trump, it's so much faster and more often than we 'd ever dream of unimaginable things becoming real.
