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On a recent Thursday, Missouri’s Republican Senator, Josh Hawley, did not mince words when discussing Big Tech, portraying them as entities eager to ‘take advantage’ of the American people and ‘micro-manage’ their daily routines.
The accusation was part of his dialogue with ‘Fox News Tonight’s’ anchor, Piers Morgan, a conversation that focused on the influence and power of technology firms.
A sharp critique of technology corporations, Hawley suggested their reach extends even to owning the strings of Capitol Hill. This argument was incited by the behavior of social media companies, who drew criticism for their censoring act on a New York Post article shedding light on Hunter Biden’s abandoned laptop, an event that stirred controversy in the lead-up to the 2020 Presidential elections.
The senator voiced concern that big businesses and multinational conglomerates are aiming for more than just arbitrary control over government mechanisms. In his words, these corporations are on a mission to ‘micro-manage’ our lives beyond the commercial sphere.
Their strategy involves deeming our personal data as open season, appropriating it without fair compensation or adequate consent. A scenario where our personal information is surreptitiously seized negates the very ideals of individual liberty and privacy.
To rectify this, he urged, we need to mandate robust legal protections for personal data. Notifying the individual, obtaining their blessing and providing them with fair monetary compensation should be prerequisites if businesses wish to use an individual’s personal information.
Earlier in this year, Hawley made his mark with an innovative proposition: legislation that would forbid children under 16 from opening social media accounts. This marked his first step towards regulating the uncurtailed power of Big Tech.
This proposed legislation, tagged as the MATURE Act or S 419, mandates a verification process by social media companies of the age of those wishing to sign up. It is seen as a proactive measure to shield the vulnerable age group from potential digital harms.
Big Tech and its millionaire allies have significant vested interests, and they’re eager to preserve this status quo. This means they’re not afraid to rally hefty financial resources and recruit industry lobbyists to retain their stranglehold on Capitol Hill.
When these corporations can freely operate and manipulate our personal lives by surreptitiously accumulating our sensitive information, we need to question the status quo. It’s testing our statement of liberty when our personal data gets seized without us getting a penny in return.
This unchecked power of these institutions cannot persist indefinitely. That’s why it’s high time to dismantle this technological stronghold that’s covertly intruding into our lives.
Our lives should be free from this level of interference. It’s accordingly essential to give back control to the very people from whom such personal data belongs.
This heralds a new era where individuals regain their autonomy over their own personal data. Americans, as with people everywhere, ought to be the rightful owners of their personal data, not corporations.
In fact, this goes beyond just America. Every individual, irrespective of their national identity, should have ownership over their personal information. Drawing a line against corporate intrusion is, thus, a universally significant cause.
Hawley’s words ring with profound sincerity and urgency. His tireless advocacy for data rights and personal freedom continues to resonate within the dynamics of Big Tech and governmental oversight.
The time has come for the pendulum to swing back in favor of individual liberty, privacy, and data ownership. With strong advocates like Senator Hawley, there’s hope for a technology landscape defined more by individual empowerment than corporate hegemony.