WARNING: Reading This Post About The French View Of The Internet Will Make You Want To Pull Your Hair Out
It's so bonkers and infuriating that you should stop reading this post.
In a report, Hollande argues the French government should tax Internet companies like Google and Facebook based on their collection of personal data about their users.
The New York Times's Eric Pfanner describes the twisted logic:
The report published Friday said a tax on data collection was justified on grounds that users of services like Google and Facebook are, in effect, working for these companies without pay by providing the personal information that lets them sell advertising.
The report says tax rates would be based on the number of users an Internet firm tracked, to be verified by outside auditors. The authors did not recommend tax rates or estimate how much money such a levy could raise.
Ack!
No!
Users are not, "in effect" or otherwise, "working for these companies without pay by providing the personal information that lets them sell advertising."
They are using products for free!
NO ONE IS MAKING THEM USE FACEBOOK OR GOOGLE, SHEESH.