You've already given that power to corporations, and corporations have far fewer regulations on actually performing said control (as in they are able to control you far more).
You are so deep into Reganomics "government is bad, corporations are good" that you don't realize these large (near) monopoly status corporations are effectively their own governments in amount of power and control they have.
I have a lot more power not to use Chrome or Android than not to be under the rule of a hostile government.
Whether it’s the religious right who are in control of one party or Tipper Gore going after rap music in the other party, do you really want the government controlling the web?
Reagonomics was about thinking the government is incompetent. I think the government is hostile.
Enriching these large companies will ensure you live under a hostile government too. Once they are big enough to rent seek, they become the primary lobbying power, and you're back in the exact same position of being under a hostile government.
Next I expect to hear something out of you about private water companies and roads as the solution to all of our problems.
> Once they are big enough to rent seek, they become the primary lobbying power, and you're back in the exact same position of being under a hostile government.
Can any of the corporations with power put people in jail or confiscate your property for disagreeing with them? Can they get you fired for teaching something that is “too woke”. Did you not see what the governor of Florida did with Disney because they had the nerve to disagree with him?
Are you really okay with giving government that power?
Show me the steps that would need to happen for Google to harass me for walking down the street because I don’t look like I belong in my own neighborhood.
You attempt to go to your local grocery store. They use 'Google Identity' which they are perfectly allowed to as a private business. You are accused of sending spam by Google (who the hells knows why, they never explain anything) and you are barred access.
Being the staunch libertarian you are, you leap over the public roadway afraid of catching communism if you touch it and go to the grocery store across the road. It turns out they are using 'Amazon Identity' and via an information sharing agreement with Google (private businesses can share information about you, right?), and you're also denied access to that store.
You'll go to another store, right.... Oops, turned out after we got rid of monopoly laws there are only two different stores in your community after consolidation of the industry. Luckily for you there is a toll road that you can take a 30 minute drive to another place that uses a different set of identifiers to let you in.
We busted monopolies and company stores years ago because businesses harassed and murdered people left and right!. Have you forgot the history of the Pinkertons, or are you just blindly ignorant of that part of US history?
This is what police will do today to people who disagree with them
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/08/23/us/marion-county-record-n...
> We busted monopolies and company stores years ago because businesses harassed and murdered people left and right!….
I’m sure I need to be more worried about Google murdering people than some yokels claiming they were doing a “citizens arrest” where the prosecutor covered up video taped evidence…
https://www.wtoc.com/2022/12/28/timeline-former-brunswick-da...
But I guess I should be more worried about Google putting a cookie on my computer…
Not that I would ever personally use Chrome
Even better, we had your magical word where the police didn't exist in the past... It was not a pleasant place unless you were the strongman. The police state was just as bad back then, or bully state.
Yeah, you can choose between Google or Apple. Hooray.
It's practically impossible to avoid Google if you value having a social life. Enough people have tried.
> Reagonomics was about thinking the government is incompetent. I think the government is hostile.
Oh yeah great, so it's even worse than Reaganomics.
At least a government csn be kept in check by a construction and can be changed by elections.
On the other hand, corporations have no obligations towards you at all. It's the entire point of private enterprise that they can do what they want and don't owe any responsibility.
That’s cute in theory. But the way that the electoral college is designed, the Senate with two votes, gerrymandering etc that doesn’t work out too well in practice.
Democracy works fine if you’re in the majority - well not actually see all of the caveats above - but that doesn’t work if you are in the minority - any type of minority.
> It's the entire point of private enterprise that they can do what they want and don't owe any responsibility.
I could argue the same about law enforcement, imminent domain, civil forfeiture, and getting harassed because I “look suspicious”
Who is going to pay for the browser?
Do you really want the government controlling how you access information?