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The problem with fines is that they don't actually disincentivize bad behavior by companies, as long as they are large enough to absorb the fine as a cost of doing business.

Time in the pokey is unpleasant for everyone.



The problem with fines is that they don't actually disincentivize bad behaviour by decision makers.

Corporations don't make decisions, individuals do.

You could argue if we hit the business hard enough, the individual making those decisions maybe suffers from.. maybe... less bonus? but, well....


If you don't think the decision makers are considering the cost to the business (as represented in the fine) or the cost to themselves (as measured by a bonus) then whet do you think is motivating their decision making process?

Decision makers are often quite sensitive to the cost to the business, people who are tagged as causing $25 billion in unnecessary charges would need to start talking very quickly about what justifies the expense. Even in the case of Facebook that much money is more than enough to start swinging decisions.


Sorry but it sounds like you think "limited liability" should only be understood to refer to corporate debts and bankruptcy proceedings and that "corporate personhood" should be understood as a legal fiction to make things simpler for bureaucrats.

That's crazy talk. Did you miss the part where corporations are actually people?


The fines are not big enough if the companies can just absorb the blow like that. $25B is not large enough to be a problem for Facebook. Add two more digits and the executives would be running to their doomsday bunkers.




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