Digital Platforms as Public Utilities

NHS advertising beneath YouTube videos is cited as evidence of public-private entanglement that undermines the argument that platforms can do whatever they want as private companies. UK legal precedent involving the London Stock Exchange establishes that a private entity acting as a public utility can become subject to the laws of the land in ways overriding standard private-company discretion. A private company that becomes the sole or primary means of communication arguably functions as a public utility regardless of its private ownership.