Google critic Barry Lynn takes on tech giants

Barry Lynn has been pushing the government to crack down on corporate power for 16 years, but his ideas never received as much attention as when they cost him his job at a Google-sponsored think tank. After parting ways with New America over the summer, Lynn has launched a new independent group to raise awareness about the threats posed by corporate giants. Lawmakers are increasingly willing to confront tech leaders on a growing list of issues, and Lynn’s transition comes as authorities are investigating whether Russians used Google, Facebook and Twitter to sow division during 2016’s election. “I think people are understanding just how poorly structured these institutions are, how sloppily they were built,” Lynn said. “It’s not just a matter of the fact that these people have too much power, it’s also that they are sloppy in the use of their power.”