THOUGHTS OF AMERICAN PEOPLE
THANKS TO A WHOLE BUNCH OF BOTS
REACTION TO ALL THIS, "BARRON'S"
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER JACK OTTER,
WITH DISRUPTIVE TECH RESEARCH
FOUNDER.
GOOD TO HAVE YOU BOTH HERE.
JACK, STARTING WITH YOU.
LOTS OF EXCUSES.
I'M NOT ONE FOR GOVERNMENT
THERE, BUT IF THESE COMPANIES
>> I THINK EVENTUALLY IT WOULD,
YOU'RE RIGHT, IF THEY CAN'T DO
IT THEMSELVES.
I DON'T WAN TO MAKE AN EXCUSE
FOR THEM BUT I DO WANT TO
EXPLAIN THE PHENOMENON HERE.
IF YOU THINK HOW YOUNG THESE
COMPANIES AND HOW INSANELY
QUICKLY THEY SCALED UP, IT IS
OUR ONE RULE WAS BASICALLY IT
COULDN'T BE LIBELOUS.
IT WAS A HUGE RESOURCE SUCK, FOR
A SMALL TOWN TO POLICE THIS,
CHECK THE FACTS AND SO FORTH.
I CAN'T EVEN CONCEIVE HOW THEY
COULD DO IT AT SCALE.
NOW AGAIN, I'M NOT SAYING
IMPORTANT FOR TO US UNDERSTAND
THE HUGENESS OF THIS PROBLEM.
IT WILL TAKE TIME TO SOLVE ALL
ISSUES THAT FRUSTRATES
CONSERVATIVES THEY FEEL LIKE
CONSERVATIVES ARE BEING CENSORED
ON SOME OF THESE ONLINE
PLATFORMS MORE THAN SAY SOME
FOLKS WHO ARE ISLAMIC EXTREMISTS
THAT WANT TO GET TOGETHER TO DO
REALLY BAD STUFF.
YET THEY'RE ALLOWED TO DO
CERTAIN THINGS BUT GOD HELP YOU
IF YOU MIGHT BE A SUPPORTER OF
PRESIDENT TRUMP ON FACEBOOK
THESE DAYS.
>> LOOK THERE IS A KEY
DIFFERENCE HERE.
THE TIME FOR EXCUSES IS UP.
JACK DORSEY IS AT LEAST ACTING
LIKE HE IS IN A CONFESSIONAL,
BEING CONTRITE, MAKING CHANGES.
IF YOU LISTENED TO THE TESTIMONY
OF SHERYL SANDBERG, SHE ACTED
LIKE SHE IS STILL IN THE
COURTROOM, DEFENDING, FACEBOOK'S
POWER.
THE TIME FOR EXCUSES IS UP.
THEY CAN'T REST ON THAT ANY
LONGER.
TRISH: MAYBE THEY NEED
INCENTIVISED TO DO WHAT THEY
NEED TO DO HERE.
YOU KNOW, THERE IS NOT A LOT OF
COMPETITION OUT THERE.
LET'S FACE IT, JACK.
I THINK THIS MIGHT BE ONE OF THE
PROBLEMS GOING FORWARD.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT FACEBOOK, IT'S
A PRETTY BIG DARN COMPANY AND
EVERYBODY IS ON IT.
YOU LOOK AT TWITTER AS WELL.
I DON'T KNOW IF THERE ARE ENOUGH
COMPETITORS OUT THERE THAT ARE
INCENTIVIZING THESE CEOs TO
GET THEIR ACT TOGETHER TO POLICE
THIS STUFF?
>> SOMEONE WHO IS IN THE
BUSINESS OF BASICALLY OLD MEDIA
AND WHO IS WATCHING ALL OF THE
GROWTH IN ADVERTISING DOLLARS,
GOING TO GOOGLE, FACEBOOK, A FEW
OTHER PLAYERS I COULDN'T AGREE
MORE.
THESE THINGS, THESE COMPANIES
ARE ENORMOUS IN SCALE.
THEY HAVE FIRST MOVE VERY
ADVANTAGE.
THEY HAVE GIGANTIC MOATS.
YEAH, THERE IS VERY LITTLE WAY
TO GO AGAINST THEM.
I WILL SAY IT IS ACTUALLY NOT IN
THEIR COMMERCIAL INTERESTS TO BE
IN FACT THAT IS BAD FOR
BUSINESS.
SEEN ON THAT PLATFORM.
IT MEANS THAT GOVERNMENT WILL
CRACK DOWN.
IT MEANS THAT WE'LL SIT HERE ON
TELEVISION AND SAY BAD THINGS
ABOUT THEM.
SO I WOULDN'T SUGGEST THAT
SOMEHOW IT IS HELPFUL FOR THEM,
THEY'RE NOT LOOKING FOR THAT
LEFT-WING SITE.
THEY WOULD BE HAPPY TO GET RID
OF IT.
THE PROBLEM IS, INCREDIBLY
EXPENSIVE AND LOGISTICALLY
DIFFICULT TO DO IT AND THEY'RE
TRYING TO FIGURE THAT OUT.
TRISH: WHICH IS NOT AN EASY
THING TO DO BUT YOU THINK BACK
TO ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS THAT
HAVE MADE OUR COUNTRY SUCH A
SUCCESS.
A BIG PART OF THAT OF COURSE IS
FREEDOM OF SPEECH.
SO PEOPLE WOULD SAY THEY SHOULD
BE ABLE TO ARTICULATE THEMSELVES
WE HAVE NOW.
NOBODY, NOBODY THOUGHT THAT YOU
WOULD HAVE THIS MEGAPHONE FOR
HATE OUT THERE, ISLAMIC
EXTREMISM OR BULLYING SUCH AS
YOU SEE ONLINE MUCH SO HOW DO WE
DEAL WITH THAT IN THE CONTEXT OF
OUR CONSTITUTION?
JACK DORSEY SAID EARLIER, IT'S A
DIGITAL PUBLIC SQUARE.
WE NEED A POLICE FORCE.
INVOLVED MAKING SURE THESE
COMPANIES ARE PUTTING TIME AND
RESOURCES TO POLICE THE DIGITAL
SQUARE.
CRIMINALLY UNDERINVESTED WHAT IS
NECESSARY TO DO THAT.
SO WE'RE IN THIS MASSIVE GAME OF
CATCH OF UP.
THEY HAVE TO BE COMMITTED TO IT.
TO MAKING CHANGES WHERE FACEBOOK
IS STILL MAKING EXCUSES.
I SAY THAT BECAUSE JACK HAS SAID
HE TAKES FULL RESPONSIBILITY
WHEREAS FACEBOOK IN THEIR
PREPARED REMARKS, IF YOU NOTICE
SEMANTICS, SLIGHT CHANGE, THEY
OF RESPONSIBILITY.
SO I THINK WHAT WE NEED HERE WE
NEED TWITTER AND FACEBOOK TO PUT
OR BOTH.
WE ALSO NEED THE GOVERNMENT TO
STEP IN AND SAY IF YOU DON'T DO
THIS, WE WILL.
I THINK THAT THREAT, AND I THINK
JACK GETS IT.
IF WE DON'T FIND SCALABLE
SOLUTIONS TO THESE PROBLEMS WE
LOSE OUR BUSINESS.
I THINK THERE MIGHT NOT BE A
DISRUPTIVE COMPETITOR.
>> I THINK HE GETS IT A LITTLE
BIT.
PERHAPS BECAUSE TWITTER IS NOT
AS MUCH A PART OF EVERYONE'S
LIFE AS FACEBOOK HAS BECOME
ALTHOUGH ANECDOTALLY SAY I DON'T
WANT TO BE ON FACEBOOK ANYMORE
BECAUSE OF ALL OF THIS BACKLASH.
I WONDER, JACK, AT WHAT POINT
DOES THE BACKLASH CATCH UP TO
THIS, OR WE RUN THE RISK OF
LOSING OUR AUDIENCE, LOSING OUR
USERS?
I DON'T KNOW IF IT HAPPENS
BECAUSE FACEBOOK IS SO BIG.
>> AT VERY MERCENARY LEVEL, IT
MIGHT NOT SHOW UP UNTIL THEY SAW
IT HURTING THE BOTTOM LINE.
THAT SAID, I DON'T THINK THEY
ARE IMMUNE TO CONCERNS,
CRITICISMS AND SO FORTH.
FOR ONE THING, ALL THESE THINGS
TEND TO RUN IN CYCLES.
YOU KNOW I HAVE 14-YEAR-OLD
DAUGHTER WHO DOES NOT HAVE A
FACEBOOK ACCOUNT.
I DON'T THINK SHE EVER WILL.