Big Tech Troubles

Here (https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-global-current/big-tech-trouble-australias-suNkgUhWqbK/), in my first podcast for the Global Current earlier in April this year, alongside Daniela Maquera Sardón, I made a prediction that following Australia’s New Social Media Law, other countries of the world will adopt similar templates to try to regulate #bigtech, and rightly so.

It’s interesting that beyond what I had imagined, the Nigerian government will be a leading front in efforts to curb Big Tech’s influence. Just last week, the Nigerian government banned Twitter in the country following #Twitter’s removal of the President’s controversial tweet. The government has stated that the temporary ban will be lifted on the condition of responsible online engagement. India’s effort to restrict the use of Twitter didn’t also come as a surprise to me as I had talked about that on the podcast. However, it is interesting that just yesterday, France fined #Google a whopping $270 million for unfair advertising policies.

While I condemn the increasing stifling of online civic spaces, I am of the view that Big tech’s meddling into politics (suspending heads of state & deleting tweets of same) has exposed them to an unprecedented level of spotlight and will further drive states’ effort towards #regulation. Its alleged anti-trust practices also create a vulnerability that will be exploited by many more governments to restrict and regulate it.

Let me know what you think and while you’re at it, do listen to my first feature on a podcast.
#tech #australia #france #advertising