Trust in Amazon and Facebook was misplaced from the beginning

Technology giants didn't deserve public trust in the first place [Click here to view this message in your web-browser](. Edition: US 19 November 2018 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair [Support The Conversation and research-based journalism]( Editor's note Almost daily, it seems, technology giants are in the news trying to restore their reputations after leaking data or courting millions in taxpayer subsidies. A historian of technology criticism and skepticism points out that long before Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was even born, scholars were warning people about big technology-enabled companies, and explains why these firms [didn’t deserve the public’s trust]( in the first place. Any amateur politician can engage in lying. But [philosopher and MIT press author Lee McIntyre]( writes that President Donald Trump, whose false statements number in the thousands, is engaging in “post-truth.” The point of a lie, McIntyre says, is to convince someone that a falsehood is true. But the point of post-truth is domination. And as holiday travel takes off in earnest this week, one has to wonder whether the fur will fly as passengers bring their emotional support animals onboard. There’s increasing concern over the practice as the number of these animals being taken on flights has increased. As veterinary medicine professor [Christine Calder of Mississippi State University explains, the issue]( is more complicated than you may imagine. Jeff Inglis Science + Technology Editor Top stories Should you have trusted this man with so much of your personal data? AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster [Technology giants didn’t deserve public trust in the first place]( Zachary Loeb, University of Pennsylvania Scholars and skeptics warned about Facebook long before its founder was even born. Technology companies keep asking for more and more data and proving they can't be trusted. President Donald Trump speaks to the media outside of the White House. AP/Evan Vucci [Lies, damn lies and post-truth]( Lee McIntyre, Boston University Any amateur politician can engage in lying. President Donald Trump is going further than that. He's engaging in 'post-truth.' Daniel the duck was a big hit on a flight, sporting not only red shoes but also a diaper. Mark Essig via Twitter [Flying with emotional support animals: The ups and downs of life in coach]( Christine Calder, Mississippi State University If you're flying during the holidays, you may encounter some emotional support animals. The practice has ticked off many people, especially the airlines. 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