Social media companies are like tobacco companies; tax their products for their harms

Minnesota lawmakers are taking aim at big tech’s data grab—with a proposed “data mining tax” on large social media platforms that profit from user information without ever sending a bill. The idea is simple: if companies are enriching themselves by harvesting your attention and habits, they should pay for the privilege. Supporters see it as a smart first step. But real progress, they argue, will take more than taxing tech giants—we’ll need the courage to fund public priorities by looking beyond easy targets and sharing the load ourselves. That’s the gist; Eric Harris Bernstein with Minnesota Reformer has the rest of the commentary.

Eric Harris Bernstein

Minnesota Reformer

View Source