Google CEO Sundar Pichai might as well quit his $100-million a year job and buy himself a blimp. He can likely blow it up himself because at this point, it's become clear that all he's filled with is hot air.
Pichai testified before Congress this week and gave few substantive, coherent responses to the many questions asked of him concerning the alleged abusive practices of his companies, from political bias to data collection and sharing to security breaches.
The entire three-and-a-half-hour ordeal was largely a waste of time, but it wasn't entirely his fault. The members of Congress questioning him could have provided more specificity to their inquiries and follow-ups, making it difficult for Pichai to merely spit out the same old talking points that followers of Big Tech abuse have just about memorized by now.
Sadly, Pichai was rarely challenged due to the members’ lack of understanding of what Google actually does and how it does it.
It's hard to blame the CEO for taking advantage of the hand Congress dealt him. His continued ability to work the system to help his company makes it ever-the-more critical for members to learn from their mistakes and create an environment that's better suited to foster productive conversations that alter the problematic status quo. If Congress isn’t going to learn, then none of us can expect a new result.
Moving forward, Congress needs to cut the made-for-YouTube lines of interrogation that may sound appealing on a video clip but do nothing to steer the tech giant in the right direction. We don't need to hear whether Google agrees with the political punditry's consensus. We've already heard plenty of that, and the dismissive answers from company representatives will likely never change. Instead, our political office holders need to learn more about how Google (and other tech companies) work so they can better address the real issues, recognize smokescreens and tech double talk, and become creative in boxing Google into agreeing to terms that are favorable to everyone.
Rather than repetitively ask Mr. Pichai whether he thinks his company's products have put the American people's personal information at risk, which we know they have, and whether they tip the scales to favor one political ideology, which we know they do, Members of Congress should ask him if the company would be open to making its computer coding reviewable by the legislative branch, removing the mystique by allowing them to find out for themselves.
Ordinarily I prefer the government be less involved in business, but Google has shown an unwillingness to self-regulate. The move wouldn't be unprecedented: Huawei and Microsoft have similarly permitted governments to inspect their software for potential vulnerabilities. If the company has nothing to fear, it should have nothing to hide. Posing the question would put Google in an interesting position because saying no to the request would do nothing but add to the allegations of the company's lack of transparency and sunlight that they have been oh-so-carefully trying to dispel. In either case, the company's reaction would help lawmakers determine the appropriate next steps they should take.
Members of Congress should also pressure Google into putting some legality behind their words, having the company agree to consent decrees that prove the company truly means what it says. It's one thing to promise that security breaches won't happen again. It's quite another to sign off on terms that bring potentially hefty penalties for failing to make good on its promises.
The added confidence such a move would bring to the American people on the security of their data on Google's platforms would seemingly benefit both sides. This probably has something to do with why Facebook agreed to one in 2011 when concerns arose about its tracking and sharing of user data. One would think that Google's thinking would be on similar grounds.
Historically, consent decrees have worked astonishingly well in changing perceived bad actors' behavior. While the Facebook example is a bit too new to utilize as a case study, there are plenty of others that underscore the utility of government consent decrees. For example, in the music world, such settlement agreements have brought the industry from the brink of gridlock to a well-functioning marketplace.
Like the social media universe, the music copyright industry isn't exactly beholden to the laws of supply and demand.
After all, copyrights were created by government forces and, while necessary, will always be monopolistic in nature.
That's why ASCAP and BMI, the two leading public performance copyright houses, managed to amass over 90 percent of the industry's marketplace and for a time had the power to charge small businesses whatever they wanted for the use of their copyrights.
The party ended when ASCAP and BMI agreed to DOJ consent decrees in 1941, mandating that they set fair rates for everyone.
Why did they agree to such terms? Likely because they knew that if they didn't, the public would completely lose confidence in their operations and it could potentially set the stage for further regulation of their enterprises.
Have the decrees successfully kept the power of ASCAP and BMI in check? Absolutely. In fact, when they've acted up, the DOJ has acted accordingly, reaching a big-money settlement agreement just two years ago for violating the terms. Talk about discouraging bad behavior. The government could agree to a similar decree with Google if Members of Congress decide to drop their impassioned rhetoric for crafting useful results.
There are plenty of strategic paths Congress can select to tame the Big Tech beast, but as evident through Wednesday's hearing with Google, continuing with the status quo isn't one of them. Members need to analyze what's worked and what hasn't so they can ultimately come to terms with a coherent, uniform plan to achieve their goals.
Inaction is action, and the buck must stop here. Congress can't afford to let Pichai coast through the capital next time around. The American people are counting on them not just to say the right things but create the right outcomes as well.
Tim Tapp is the host of the syndicated, conservative talk show "Tapp" into the Truth. He calls East Tennessee home, where he broadcasts and writes. He also still works in Quality Assurance for a food manufacturing company as he takes up the cause of defending our republic. Find out more at www.tappintothetruth.com.
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