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Full-Text Articles in Critical and Cultural Studies
The Limits Of Transparency: Data Brokers And Commodification, Matthew Crain
The Limits Of Transparency: Data Brokers And Commodification, Matthew Crain
Publications and Research
In the United States the prevailing public policy approach to mitigating the harms of internet surveillance is grounded in the liberal democratic value of transparency. While a laudable goal, transparency runs up against insurmountable structural constraints within the political economy of commercial surveillance. A case study of the data broker industry reveals the limits of transparency and shows that commodification of personal information is at the root of the power imbalances that transparency-based strategies of consumer empowerment seek to rectify. Despite significant challenges, privacy policy must be more centrally informed by a critical political economy of commercial surveillance.
The Rise Of Private Equity Media Ownership In The United States: A Public Interest Perspective, Matthew Crain
The Rise Of Private Equity Media Ownership In The United States: A Public Interest Perspective, Matthew Crain
Publications and Research
This article examines the logic, scope, and implications of the influx of private equity takeovers in the United States media sector in the last decade. The strategies and aims of private equity firms are explained in the context of the financial landscape that has allowed them to flourish; their aggressive expansion into media ownership is outlined in detail. Particular attention is paid to the public interest concerns raised by private equity media ownership relating to the frenzied nature of the buyout market, profit maximization strategies, and the heavy debt burdens imposed on acquired firms. The article concludes with discussion of …