U.S. Moving—Some Say Too Slowly—to Address TikTok Security Risk
By: Wall Street Journal Date: February 2, 2022 The Biden administration is moving to revise federal rules to address potential security risks from TikTok and other foreign-owned apps, eight months after opting not to pursue a forced shutdown of the Chinese-owned video-sharing platform. The Commerce Department recently concluded a public-comment period on the proposed rule change, […]
How the FTC Is Reshaping the Antitrust Argument Against Tech Giants
By: Wall Street Journal Date: January 29, 2022 For years, activists, lawmakers, lobbying groups, think tanks and most Americans have agreed something should be done about giant tech companies’ power. With minor exceptions, no one has figured out how to do it. Now, U.S. competition regulators at the Federal Trade Commission are getting creative. They’re zeroing in on […]
Facebook Promised Poor Countries Free Internet. People Got Charged Anyway.
By: Wall Street Journal Date: January 24, 2022 Facebook says it’s helping millions of the world’s poorest people get online through apps and services that allow them to use internet data free. Internal company documents show that many of these people end up being charged in amounts that collectively add up to an estimated […]
Amazon, Meta Report Record Lobbying Spending in 2021
By: The Hill Date: January 21, 2022 Amazon and Meta, Facebook’s parent company, spent record sums on federal lobbying in 2021 as they fought legislation to limit their expansive market power. Amazon and its subsidiaries spent roughly $20.3 million to lobby Congress and the federal government, while Meta shelled out $20.1 million, according […]
Tech Group Warns Biden That Antitrust Bills Carry Political Risk
By: Bloomberg Date: January 19, 2022 A tech-backed group is warning the White House that supporting an antitrust bill designed to curb the power of internet giants isn’t politically popular and could hurt Democrats ahead of November’s midterm elections. The Chamber of Progress, which counts Amazon.com Inc., Apple Inc., Meta Platforms Inc. and […]
Google, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft Weave a Fiber-Optic Web of Power
By: Wall Street Journal Date: January 15, 2022 To say that Big Tech controls the internet might seem like an exaggeration. Increasingly, in at least one sense, it’s literally true. The internet can seem intangible, a post-physical environment where things like viral posts, virtual goods and metaverse concerts just sort of happen. But creating that […]
Lawsuit Claims Facebook and Google CEOs Were Aware of Deal to Control Advertising Sales
By: The Guardian Date: January 15, 2022 Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Sundar Pichai were allegedly aware of and approved a deal to collaborate on the potential manipulation of advertising sales, according to newly revealed documents. The documents, which came to light on Friday, were filed as part of a lawsuit against Google brought by the […]
Lawsuit Aiming to Break Up Facebook Group Meta Can Go Ahead, US Court Rules
By: The Guardian Date: January 12, 2022 The US competition watchdog can proceed with a breakup lawsuit against Facebook’s owner, a federal judge has ruled. Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, the parent of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, had asked a court to dismiss an antitrust complaint brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for the second time. However, […]
The Metaverse’s Effects on Mental Health: Trivial or Troubling?
By: Wall Street Journal Date: January 09, 2022 Is the metaverse good or bad news for our mental health? Silicon Valley’s focus on creating an immersive virtual world where our avatars shop, socialize and work has psychologists and other experts considering what effects it will have on our well-being. Technology companies including Nvidia Corp. , Epic Games Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Meta Platforms Inc., formerly Facebook, are […]