Pension fund’s assets in the United States amounted to $15.6 million (USD) in 2018, with these assets being bought with the contributions made to the pension plan and for the exclusive purpose of financing pension benefits. (Pension Funds in Figures,OECD). While the total dollar amount of assets and the number of beneficiaries and contributors has risen in both public pensions and private pensions there is a growing concern about these funds’ ability to deliver adequate returns. (Funded Pension Indicators, OECD). Delivering returns on investment to satisfy the pension obligations remains an issue because of the balancing between profit creation and the long-term sustainability of these funds.
Read MoreAre the search results we see on the Internet the actual result of our inquiry, or is each search curated to the individual’s preferences and beliefs? Biased Google searches and social media ads, and the power of Big Tech to influence results became a concern in the wake of the 2016 presidential election after reports surfaced that Russia pushed propaganda to social media users to influence voters. (NBC News). Further, politicians from Ted Cruz to Elizabeth Warren have also voiced broader concerns about Big Tech being able to silence free speech and suppress freedom of information by selectively targeting users with ads biased toward their beliefs. (The Verge). Public officials and social media moguls recognize there is a problem, but the question is how to regulate this data that is collected from users to create biased ads. Proposals have ranged from creating consumer privacy regulations to breaking up Big Tech’s market power or regulating them like utilities. Much of the focus in recent years has been on the former.
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