The data we give away online has built empires—and now, one Minnesota lawmaker says it’s time those empires paid rent. Senator Ann Rest is pushing a new tax on social media giants, targeting the platforms that profit from Minnesotans’ personal data. With a looming budget shortfall, she calls it a fair share. Critics see it as a dead-on-arrival tax hike. Whether it’s bold policy or political long shot, the debate brings a bigger question to the table: What is our data really worth?
This is the beginning. Social media is such a fast-moving cultural juggernaut at this moment that governments don’t understand what to do with it — tax it, regulate it, leave it be, nationalize it. One this is certain, elected leaders through government will try. Dan Ferguson with MPR has the story on a first attempt that is gathering up in Minnesota.
