A large majority of Americans believe Facebook has "too much power" but many would be disappointed if the social networking giant disappeared, a survey showed Monday.

The "tech trust survey" for online technology news magazine The Verge found 72 percent thought Facebook's power was too extensive, even if their overall views of the company were mixed.

Nearly half of the 1,123 respondents expressed concerns over how Facebook handles private user data, the December survey showed. But 55 percent said they would be disappointed if it disappeared.

There were a range of views, sometimes contradictory, on Big Tech, which has drawn increasing scrutiny for dominating key economic sectors, with antitrust probes in several parts of the world underway.

Roughly nine in 10 said they had "favorable" opinions of firms such as Google, Netflix and Microsoft. The percentage was 80 percent for Apple, 71 percent for Facebook and 61 percent for Twitter.

A majority said Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Apple had a "positive" impact on society, but only 40 percent said the same for Facebook.

In the survey, 56 percent said the government should break up tech companies if they control too much of the economy. But fewer than half were aware that Google owns YouTube and that Facebook controls Instagram and WhatsApp.

But strong majorities said they would be disappointed if Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Netflix or Apple disappeared.

Microsoft led the pack in the number of Americans who say they trust it, at 75 percent, with Amazon at 73 percent.

Related Links
Satellite-based Internet technologies

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Huawei to open European 5G factory in France
Paris (AFP) Feb 27, 2020
Chinese telecom giant Huawei said Thursday that it would begin manufacturing radio equipment for next-generation 5G networks in France, its first such facility outside of China. Huawei, which has become caught up in a bruising trade war between Beijing and Washington, has been attentively courting Europe as it tries to offset lost business in the US. Its planned 200-million-euro ($218-million) French facility will employ 500 people and produce equipment for the European market, Huawei chairman L ... read more