For Immediate Release: Wednesday, January 20, 2021
Contact: Office of Communications, Communications@MyFloridaCFO.com, 850.413.2842
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT….
Newsmax: “Fighting Back Against Big Tech”
“Fighting Back Against Big Tech”
Newsmax
January 15, 2021
To watch, click HERE
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Rob Schmitt: That follows a similar letter addressed to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis earlier this week after Amazon pulled the plug on the conservative social media app Parler. This is the backlash. So how do people in states push back on big tech censorship? Is this the beginning of something. We’re going to try to answer that with Jimmy Patronis who is the Chief Financial Officer of the state of Florida.
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CFO Patronis: Randy Fine sent a letter this week to us and as the cabinet there's three of us that service as trustees over the SBA. The governor, myself and the attorney general, so I've already put the SBA on notice and the Governor on notice that I would like to have a follow up report having on the next meeting of the full cabinet. Look, Big Tech is dividing Americans. And right now, in my opinion, Venezuelan dictators get treated better than big tech treats conservatives in the United States.
CFO Patronis: It’s time we re-evaluate because some of the decisions they’re making right now definitely affect stock base, which financially effect the investments of Florida's taxpayers.
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Robb Schmitt: You have another concern about big tech, you released this statement: We must Empower Consumers to Hold Big Tech Accountable. You’re demanding that these companies give users the ability to opt out of having consumer data collected and sold. Talk about what kind of danger this poses.
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CFO Patronis: So, every time you see an incentive from your favorite fast food restaurant, download the app and you get a free snack, sandwich, what have you. You’re not just downloading an app and engaging. They’re having the ability to harvest your information. To me, it’s a dangerous, slippery slope, even though people are opting in, the public doesn’t know what’s actually being done with that data. Your being tracked. The information is being used for habits because you have opted in. And all I’m asking, simply asking, is that people have the ability to opt out.
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CFO Patronis: Big tech is now operating like monopolies.
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CFO Patronis: Big tech has crossed the line and what they’re doing to other company’s user portals has just been short of taking away freedom of speech that we fight so hard for every single day.
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About CFO Jimmy Patronis
Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis is a statewide elected official and a member of Florida’s Cabinet who oversees the Department of Financial Services. CFO Patronis works each day to fight insurance fraud, support Florida’s firefighters, and ensure the state’s finances are stable to support economic growth in the state. Follow the activities of the Department on Facebook (FLDFS) and Twitter (@FLDFS).
