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this post was submitted on 27 Oct 2023
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tl;dw
Cory Doctorow coins the term "enshittification" to describe how platforms start out benefiting users but eventually abuse users and business customers to extract all value.
Facebook started by prioritizing user privacy over ads but now prioritizes profits over all else.
Network effects are a double-edged sword - they lock users in but also make platforms vulnerable if users leave en masse.
Low switching costs due to universality and interoperability allow competitors to reverse engineer platforms and plug in competing services.
Mandatory interoperability and limiting data control can curb platform power by distributing control to users and smaller companies.
Recent antitrust actions aim to roll back decades of lax merger policy that let platforms consolidate power.
Breakups will take a long time so interoperability is a faster way to restore competition.
Laws should limit abusive behavior rather than rely on platforms to self-regulate.
Federated open services fail gracefully and encourage migration to better platforms.
Political will is growing but change will be gradual - focus should be on harm reduction in the near term.