Amazon, Facebook, Apple and Google have transformed the world in many ways. You can search for anything within the Google search bar, you can order the most obscure item and have it on your doorstep within 48 hours and even discover an old High School friend from decades ago with Facebook! These companies who were once the underdog, ‘buck-the-system type companies have grown into conglomerates not seen since the oil and railroad tycoons roamed the American marketplace.
With the introduction of new ‘Anti-Trust’ Laws, the government is attempting to curtail the influence of Big Tech. When Amazon can sell their own products on their own platform or when Google can decide what links/ads pop up when a search is conducting could be troublesome. These particular actions create an imbalance in the fairness of how business is conducted.
Lawmakers have introduced 5 Anti-Trust laws that will attempt to curtail the influence, but what will this look like for the average consumer? Let us look at Amazon for example, Amazon has an online platform that independent sellers or small businesses can use to sell their products. Amazon also sells their own branded product on this same platform which naturally creates a conflict of interest. The ‘Ending Platform Monopolies Act’ would help with this issue. With the attempted “break up” of these conglomerates, there are ways the consumer would be hurt but with the recent uptick in ransomware attacks and data breaches maybe these laws are needed?
Happy New Years Clean!
Closing out another calendar year inherently leads us to down a path of reflection and review of our lives. During these times of reflection, many of us like to do a ‘reset’ in preparation for the upcoming year. I may be a little bias, but the same sentiment can and...
You’ve been hacked, now what?
Here at Next Generation Designs we strive to find solutions around hardware installation, software configuration and consulting within the backdrop of maximum client efficiency. Being the victim of a cyber crime is time consuming and affects efficiency in any...
Live Streaming Stats That Will Surprise You
Recently, digital research and consulting firm Findstack conducted an in-depth study into live streaming trends in 2021. We’ve pulled together three of the most interesting findings to help you better understand what live streaming is and how it can transform your...
Spoof! Be Gone!
Isn’t it great we don’t have to print out MapQuest directions anymore? Or what about being able to book a restaurant reservation right from your couch? The expansion of the internet and rise of smartphones has made our lives easier, made us more mobile but also more...
It’s a bird, its a plane, its…Windows 11?
Microsoft has been hard at work revamping their new operating system, set to be available for purchase or download later this year. But lucky for us, Microsoft has released a free public beta for us to mess around with until the full release does happen. After the...
Starlink? Huh?
Looking to the stars in 2021 is going to take on a whole new meaning, thanks to Elon Musk. Whether its Tesla Motor Company, SpaceX or Neuralink you can tell he is a bit ambitious (or fanciful) in his professional endeavors. But the one that has been flying under (or...
Why are you still paying for Cable Television?
Netflix (and chill), Hulu, YouTube TV, HBO Max and the list goes on and on. These great media apps, like most things were born out of necessity. The necessary act of Cutting Cord has been sweeping households for almost a decade now. But what exactly is Cord Cutting...
Do you need Microsoft Office, maybe not thanks to Google.
Google just announced that it’s adding native support for Microsoft’s Word, Excel, and PowerPoint formats — like .docx, .xls, and .ppt — which will let you do real-time collaboration in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. This morning, Google announced support would be...
Who can you trust to fix your computer?
The FTC announced it has fined Office Depot $25M for scamming customers into buying malware removal services they never needed. The company that cooperated with the scam, Support.com, was also fined $10M, for a total of $35M. The two companies collaborated to charge...
The End of an Era
Microsoft has rolled out an update to Windows 7 that will notify users about the end of support for the highly loved operating system. The software giant is stopping support of Windows 7 on January 14th, 2020, and they are now starting to warn about this cutoff date....
Happy New Years Clean!
Closing out another calendar year inherently leads us to down a path of reflection and review of our lives. During these times of reflection, many of us like to do a ‘reset’ in preparation for the upcoming year. I may be a little bias, but the same sentiment can and...
You’ve been hacked, now what?
Here at Next Generation Designs we strive to find solutions around hardware installation, software configuration and consulting within the backdrop of maximum client efficiency. Being the victim of a cyber crime is time consuming and affects efficiency in any...
Live Streaming Stats That Will Surprise You
Recently, digital research and consulting firm Findstack conducted an in-depth study into live streaming trends in 2021. We’ve pulled together three of the most interesting findings to help you better understand what live streaming is and how it can transform your...
Spoof! Be Gone!
Isn’t it great we don’t have to print out MapQuest directions anymore? Or what about being able to book a restaurant reservation right from your couch? The expansion of the internet and rise of smartphones has made our lives easier, made us more mobile but also more...
It’s a bird, its a plane, its…Windows 11?
Microsoft has been hard at work revamping their new operating system, set to be available for purchase or download later this year. But lucky for us, Microsoft has released a free public beta for us to mess around with until the full release does happen. After the...
Starlink? Huh?
Looking to the stars in 2021 is going to take on a whole new meaning, thanks to Elon Musk. Whether its Tesla Motor Company, SpaceX or Neuralink you can tell he is a bit ambitious (or fanciful) in his professional endeavors. But the one that has been flying under (or...
Why are you still paying for Cable Television?
Netflix (and chill), Hulu, YouTube TV, HBO Max and the list goes on and on. These great media apps, like most things were born out of necessity. The necessary act of Cutting Cord has been sweeping households for almost a decade now. But what exactly is Cord Cutting...
Do you need Microsoft Office, maybe not thanks to Google.
Google just announced that it’s adding native support for Microsoft’s Word, Excel, and PowerPoint formats — like .docx, .xls, and .ppt — which will let you do real-time collaboration in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. This morning, Google announced support would be...
Who can you trust to fix your computer?
The FTC announced it has fined Office Depot $25M for scamming customers into buying malware removal services they never needed. The company that cooperated with the scam, Support.com, was also fined $10M, for a total of $35M. The two companies collaborated to charge...
The End of an Era
Microsoft has rolled out an update to Windows 7 that will notify users about the end of support for the highly loved operating system. The software giant is stopping support of Windows 7 on January 14th, 2020, and they are now starting to warn about this cutoff date....
Break it up!
