Joe Biden
Government’s Reactive Nature Hobbling Tech Regulation, Expert Says
Congress may need another big tech breach to move earnestly on regulation, says consultant.
Judiciary
Supreme Court Declares Trump First Amendment Case Moot, But Legal Issues For Social Media Coming
April 5, 2021—Despite accepting a petition that avoids the Supreme Court deliberating on whether a president can block social media users, Justice Clarence Thomas on Monday issued a volley that may foreshadow future legal issues surrounding social media in the United States. On Monday, the Supreme C
COVID
Pressed by Congress, Big Tech Defends Itself and Offers Few Solutions After Capitol Riot
March 26, 2021 – The heads of the largest social media companies largely defended their platforms, reiterated what they’ve done, and offered few solutions to the problems that ail them during a congressional hearing Thursday. But, under harsh questioning from the House Energy and Commerce Committee,
Free Speech
Experts Reexamining Role of Targeted Ads and Political Extremism in Wake of January 6 Attack
March 25, 2021—In the wake of rioters storming the Capital Building on January 6, experts and social media platforms are reexamining the role of targeted ads and content on virtual platforms. Experts are divided on how to proceed on the future of targeted content. Some cautioned that its nature allo
Biden-Harris Administration
Sen. Mark Warner Says His Section 230 Bill Is Crafted With Help of Tech Companies
March 23, 2021 – Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, said he and his staff are in “regular contact” with big tech representatives about Section 230 reform. “Both my staff and I are in regular contact with a host of individuals on the tech side,” Warner said Monday at a Protocol webinar discussing internet
Alexandra Bruer
Reverse Auction For Faster Deployment, Pandemic Increased Telecom, Trump’s New Social Platform
March 22, 2021—A report published by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation suggests that significant investments in a rural, reverse-auction could make immense progress in bridging the digital divide. On Monday, the group said a $40-billion reverse-auction program targeted at rural, u
FTC
Former and Current FTC Commissioners Laud Efforts At Greater Resources For Antitrust Cases
March 17, 2021 – A new antitrust bill by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn, is receiving high praise from current and former commissioners of the Federal Trade Commission for its focus on enhancing resources required to tackle competition issues. “I think we could use more money still,” Noah Phillips, comm
Free Speech
Legal Digital Framework Must Be Created For Content Moderation, Says Head of European Court of Human Rights
March 16, 2021—The president of the European Court of Human Rights is recommending an autonomous legal body that oversees a digital framework for content moderation. Róbert Spanó said Tuesday, at a talk hosted by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, that the framework would serve as a digi
EFF
Changes to Section 230 Might Lead To Removal of Legitimate Speech, Subtract from Historical Record
March 17, 2021 – Changes to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act may not lead to the solution that America wants or needs, said panelists during a South by Southwest event Tuesday. Section 230 grants immunity to social media platforms for user-generated content. It’s an increasingly visible
Big Tech
Facebook’s Oversight Board Defends Against Critics Who Call It a Shield For Company
March 16, 2021 – A member of Facebook’s Oversight Board, which was created to provide content moderation decisions for the social media giant, defended itself Tuesday against critics who say it was created as a sort-of regulatory shield for the company. The board’s head of communications, Dax Hunter
China
Telecom Companies Need To Challenge Governments Over Internet Shutdowns: Advocacy Groups
March 13, 2021 – Internet shutdowns by governments around the globe are impacting their connectivity-dependent segments, including education and business, and citizens should pressure telecom companies to take action against the authors of those blackouts, experts said Tuesday. Internet blackouts in
FTC
Democrats Introduce Community Broadband Act, Lina Khan for FTC, Facebook Wants Lawsuits Dismissed
March 11, 2021 – Democratic lawmakers have introduced new legislation to ensure their residents have broadband access by removing roadblocks for public-private partnerships and locally-owned broadband systems. Reps. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif. and Jared Golden, D-Maine, and Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J. introdu
Infrastructure
Big Tech Not Anticompetitive, But May Require Careful Regulation
March 8, 2021 – Lawmakers should not rush to paint big technology companies as monopolists and should carefully analyze what is worth regulating, according to commentators speaking at a Thursday Law and Economics Center webinar. The fallacious notion that big tech companies don’t have much competiti
Antitrust
House Committee Hears of Big Tech’s Alleged Anticompetitive Behavior in New Hearing
WASHINGTON, March 2, 2021 – A House committee on Thursday heard of the need for strengthened antitrust measures to stem the influence of big technology companies, which are alleged to have increased its stranglehold on data on the internet. The committee heard of Google’s and Facebook’s overwhelming
ECF
More Emergency Broadband Funding for Homes, Pandemic and Privacy, Facebook and Australian News
March 1, 2021—The House of Representatives on Saturday morning passed a bill that would fund $7.6 billion, out of the $1.9 trillion care package, to prop-up the E-Rate program and extend it to homes. The bill would expand the internet subsidy program for libraries and schools by shuttling the money
Free Speech
Traditional Media Must Take Unilateral Action On Disinformation, Says Journalist Soledad O’Brien
February 25, 2021 – Broadcasters and cable news stations must unilaterally – without the need for government intervention – follow stricter standards and proper due diligence before booking guests to slow the spread of disinformation. Over the past few years, with the nation increasingly divided, it
