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Article

13 Jan 2021

Author:
Michael Posner, Forbes

Commentary: Amid a threat to democracy, how companies can rebuild trust

Many business leaders had embraced Trump, at least at first, recognizing that though he was erratic and unqualified, he could help advance their objectives of lowering taxes and relaxing regulations, which he did... But business leaders crave stability and benefit from a strong rule of law... The attempt to overturn the hallmarks of democracy—free and fair elections and the peaceful transfer of power—cuts to the core of civic order. This is why the National Association of Manufacturers decried the insurrection at the Capitol and demanded Trump’s immediate removal from office.

... [B]usiness leaders need to step up, and they should do so at three different levels... [First] [s]ocial media companies need to do much more to systematically address the broader array of harmful content that still circulates on their sites... The second category involves other technology companies like Apple and Amazon that have served as behind-the-scenes enablers to wildly irresponsible online platforms such as Parler... These companies are now demanding, as they should, that renegade platforms like Parler adopt responsible content moderation policies if they want to avail themselves of these support services... A third long-overdue course correction involves the need for an ethical filter to guide political giving by corporations.

Part of the following timelines

USA: 2020 Presidential election, business & human rights

Business leaders condemn violence at US Capitol