How would opening up Facebook change the internet?

On October 22nd, some of Silicon Valley’s biggest critics introduced a bill that’s meant to undercut social media monopolies. The Augmenting Compatibility and Competition by Enabling Service Switching (ACCESS) Act is designed to make “large communications platforms” loosen their hold on user data. It builds on regulations that have already been implemented in Europe, and it speaks to serious concerns about online walled gardens.

But the ACCESS Act doesn’t lay out precisely how these rules might change our relationship with companies like Twitter and Facebook. Some of its details are still up in the air. But based on what we know, here’s why the bill matters and why it’s not a surefire solution for opening up the internet.

What does the...

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