What is with this place wanting to throw everyone in prison? Is there some thrill you get from seeing executives in an orange jumper?
Fines can be far more beneficial to society. Make them pay in a way that actually helps other people.
It's not an either/or. You can be sentenced with both a fine and jail time. Plus, I feel like the goal here should be stopping illegal activity (should this investigation find something, of course), and I think jail time would be more of a deterrent than a fine. Plus, we already have a system in place for corporations to benefit society from the earnings society lets them make: taxes.
Start putting executives in jail, and behavior will actually change. Isn't that the desired goal?
Jail. Jail for a looooong time. Only in negatively and significantly affecting the life or lives of those responsible will there be adequate justice.
Better question is, what is it with HN and rallying to the defense of unethical and illegal business practices?
They're sent to prison because it has a deterrent effect, in an industry where insider trading is easily accomplished by also hard to prove in court.
Same goes here. The public has no ability to audit FB's data collection and sharing practices. We simply have to take their word for it when they announce a new "privacy-focused Facebook".
If prosecutors can find a criminal charge that sticks, any conviction should lead to jail time.
To me the answer is; do both.
Criminals. The word you're looking for is criminals. And yes, most people like seeing criminals in an orange jumper.
How exactly?
I mean, as long as the crime made a lot of money, it can't really be a crime, surely?
If you make the fine large enough to actually matter, it would probably affect people working at the company who had nothing to do with the illegal activity. So maybe you should figure out who said 'OK' to the stuff, and who implemented it, and then put them in prison. Maybe then other companies won't do similar things.
I don't know if it would work, but the sentiment doesn't necessarily come from moral indignation or "retributivism".
As far as fines being incentives, if the fine is large enough it will work. Make it so shareholders feel the pain and the board will hold the executives accountable. Then you'll get the necessary feedback to curb these actions.
I hope you apply the same rubric to shoplifting, drug posession, and the dozens of other non-violent crimes that get people put in jail regularly. Otherwise this is just a justification for keeping power unaccountable.
Like, say, not going to prison? You know, the main incentive used for regular people? Just spitballing here.