Rights Group Urges Governments to Break Up with Big Tech to Protect Human Rights

Rights Group Urges Governments to Break Up with Big Tech to Protect Human Rights
———————————-
Amnesty International on Thursday called on governments to rein in major technology companies, warning that their unchecked dominance poses significant threats to human rights, Maktoob Online reported.

In a briefing titled “Breaking up with Big Tech,” Amnesty highlighted the extraordinary influence of Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, and Apple across search engines, social media, app stores, and cloud computing. Hannah Storey, Amnesty’s technology and human rights adviser, said these firms act as “digital landlords” shaping online interaction, threatening privacy, freedom of expression, and access to information.

Amnesty cited past cases including Facebook’s role in Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict and the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar, and noted that the expansion into AI further consolidates power. The group urged states to use competition law as a “human rights toolbox,” investigating abuses, sanctioning monopolistic practices, and scrutinizing generative AI for risks.

Letters summarizing these concerns were sent to the five companies on Aug. 12, with Meta and Microsoft responding, while Google, Amazon, and Apple had not replied.

Storey emphasized that breaking up tech oligarchies is key to creating a fair and just online environment.