Category Archives: Big Tech

The dummied-up flyer bore the hallmarks of a real WANTED poster. A grainy photo of a woman outside an election office in the suburbs of Atlanta stamped with the word WANTED. An image of a sheriffs badge and the phone number for the Gwinnett County Sheriffs Office. The implication was clear: The woman was being sought by the local sheriff for voter fraud.

The flyer was fake, and though the sheriffs office eventually called it out, the false poster went viral, amassing tens of thousands of shares, views and threatening comments on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok and raising fears that harm could come to the unidentified woman.

Stolen-election activists and supporters of former President Donald Trump have embraced a new tactic in their ongoing campaign to unearth supposed proof of fraud in the 2020 presidential race: chasing down a fictional breed of fraudster known as a ballot mule and using social media to do it.

Inspired by a conservative documentary film that has won praise from Trump and his allies and debunking from critics including former Attorney General William Barr self-styled citizen sleuths are posting and sharing photos of unnamed individuals and accusing them of election crimes. They are calling on their followers to help identify these ballot mules, who are accused of having violated laws against dropping off multiple absentee ballots during the 2020 election. A state lawmaker in Arizona has even encouraged people to act as vigilantes and catch future mules.

Promoting such false information violates the policies of Facebook, Twitter and TikTok. Facebooks Community Standards says its policy is to remove content that incites harassment or violence or impersonates government officials. Twitter and TikTok have similar rules and guidelines for what can and cant appear on their platforms.

ProPublica identified at least a dozen additional posts on Twitter, Facebook and TikTok that accuse unnamed individuals of being ballot mules and engaging in allegedly illegal activity. Some of these posts echo the WANTED-style language seen in the Gwinnett County meme, while others include similar calls to action to identify the individuals.

None of the posts reviewed by ProPublica include evidence that any of the people depicted in the posters engaged in illegal activity. Yet the social media companies have reacted slowly or not at all to such posts, some of which clearly violate their policies, experts say.

Disinformation researchers from the nonpartisan clean-government nonprofit Common Cause alerted Facebook and Twitter that the platforms were allowing users to post such incendiary claims in May. Not only did the claims lack evidence that crimes had been committed, but experts worry that poll workers, volunteers and regular voters could face unwarranted harassment or physical harm if they are wrongfully accused of illegal election activity.

So far, there is no sign that any of the people depicted have been identified or suffered any threats.

Emma Steiner, a disinformation analyst with Common Cause who sent warnings to the social-media companies, says the lack of action suggests that tech companies relaxed their efforts to police election-related threats ahead of the 2022 midterms.

This is the new playbook, and Im worried that platforms are not prepared to deal with this tactic that encourages dangerous behavior, Steiner said.

Spokespeople for Facebook, TikTok and Twitter said they would remove posts flagged by ProPublica for violating their respective community standards policies.

Thirty-one states allow a third party to collect and return an absentee or mail-in ballot on behalf of another voter. These laws help voters who are disabled or infirm, live in spread-out rural areas or reside on tribal lands with limited access to polling places or ballot drop boxes. In states with a history of absentee voting, both Democratic and Republican operatives have engaged in organized ballot-collection drives.

Critics, labeling the practice ballot harvesting, have sought to restrict its use, warning about the potential for fraud. However, incidents of proven fraud related to ballot collection are extremely rare. A database maintained by the conservative Heritage Foundation identifies just 238 cases of fraudulent use of absentee ballots since 1988. One high-profile case of fraud involving absentee ballots occurred in a 2018 North Carolina congressional race. A Republican operative engaged in a ballot-tampering scheme involving hundreds of ballots. The state election board later threw out the election result and ordered a redo. It was likely the first federal election overturned due to fraud, according to historians and election-law experts.

The phrases ballot mules and ballot trafficking with their intentional echoes of the language of drugs and cartels started to gain traction online in 2021, according to Mike Caulfield, a misinformation researcher at the University of Washingtons Center for an Informed Public. An analysis by Caulfield and his colleagues found that prominent Republicans including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel invoked ballot trafficking last spring.

But it wasnt until conservative provocateur Dinesh DSouza and a discredited conservative group called True the Vote last fall began to tease findings that would later appear in DSouzas movie 2000 Mules that uses of ballot trafficking and ballot mules shot up, according to Caulfields research.

The 2000 Mules film claims that a network of thousands of people illegally stuffed ballot boxes in swing states to steal the presidency for Joe Biden. It draws heavily on the work of True the Vote, which purported to use surveillance footage and geolocation data to make its claims of illegal ballot activity.

Numerous fact-checks of the film have cast serious doubt over its central premise. In a deposition with the Jan. 6 select committee, Barr said he found the conclusions of 2000 Mules far from convincing. My opinion then and my opinion now, he said, is that the election was not stolen by fraud, and I havent seen anything since the election that changes my mind on that, including the 2000 Mules movie.

True the Vote founder Catherine Engelbrecht said her group had never spoken with Barr and disputed the notion that True the Vote had not proven its claims about voter fraud. I do think that when 80%+ of America is concerned about election integrity, something must be done to address the situation, she said. It is the failure of leaders across all branches of government, who have allowed lawlessness to be the new law, that we find ourselves where we do. DSouza did not respond to a request for comment.

Despite its flimsy conclusions, 2000 Mules found an enthusiastic audience in Trump and his supporters. In early May, Trump screened the film at his Mar-a-Lago private club. The film has since earned nearly $1.5 million at the box office, according to Box Office Mojo. In a recent 12-page letter responding to the public hearings organized by the Jan. 6 select committee, Trump cited 2000 Mules nearly 20 times.

As the films dubious claims have spread online, stolen-election activists are creating and sharing online content purporting to reveal more mules and accusing those individuals of illegal behavior without actual evidence of wrongdoing.

The most striking example is the meme that depicts an older white woman leaving a ballot drop box in Georgias suburban Gwinnett County. The word WANTED appears above her head as does the image of a sheriffs badge labeled Gwinnett County and the sheriff offices phone number.

Ballot mule, the meme says. If you can ID her, call Gwinnett Co. sheriffs office.

A spokeswoman for the Gwinnett County Sheriffs Office says the meme is fake. The sheriffs office hasnt received calls purporting to identify the woman. The spokeswoman said that the office was investigating who created the meme.

ProPublica was unable to identify the woman in the WANTED meme. A spokesman for the Gwinnett County elections office confirmed that the name tag worn by the woman in the meme matched those worn by county election workers in 2020. He also verified that the drop box in the video was located outside of the countys election headquarters.

The origins of the womans photo in the WANTED meme appear to point back to a Georgia businessman and self-described election-fraud investigator named David Cross.

For months Cross has posted short clips of surveillance footage showing people depositing ballots at drop boxes in Gwinnett County. Cross sometimes narrates these videos and makes unverified accusations of illegal ballot harvesting. In a clip that Cross posted online on May 3, an older white woman the same woman in the WANTED meme deposits multiple ballots into the drop box outside the headquarters for Gwinnett Countys elections office. In his narration, Cross accuses the woman of depositing as many as 35 ballots, though its not at all clear from the video exactly how many ballots the woman deposited. Totally illegal, he says in the video. (Cross did not respond to requests for comment.)

Georgia law prohibits many third parties from submitting a ballot thats not their own. However, the law makes exceptions for caregivers for the elderly and the disabled, immediate family members, members of the same household, in-laws, nieces, nephews, grandchildren and more.

Cross, the Georgia activist, has filed complaints with the State Election Board and secretary of states office alleging illegal ballot deliveries and citing his surveillance footage clips. Last month, the State Election Board dismissed three complaints alleging ballot harvesting after an investigation by the secretary of states office found that the alleged mules were voters dropping off ballots for themselves and family members.

A spokesman for Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger told ProPublica that the office has a pending investigation into the woman in the WANTED meme. The spokesman, Walter Jones, stressed that no one should assume that an individual shown in a video delivering multiple ballots is automatically guilty of a crime, nor would the ballots in question be invalidated even if someone had violated the states ballot-collection law.

The video published by Cross of the woman at the Gwinnett County drop box spread rapidly online. Twitter users accused the woman of being one of the 2000 mules and urged their followers to MAKE HER FAMOUS! in other words, reveal her identity and share it widely.

One Twitter user shared the womans image with the WANTED text and the fake Gwinnett County sheriffs badge. Once we find out who paid these people the whole story will become clear, the account wrote. That tweet amassed more than 9,000 retweets and more than 14,000 likes before Twitter removed it.

The WANTED post spread across Twitter, Facebook and TikTok. A Facebook group called Celebrities for Trump shared it. We need more if [sic] these, the post said, referring to the WANTED sign. Keep your eyes open. Report them all it is a crime.

Several days after the WANTED flyer surfaced and reached a large audience, the Gwinnett County sheriff stated that the post was false. Yet despite the post impersonating a law-enforcement agency, social-media companies have been slow to remove it.

While Twitter removed dozens of posts with the WANTED sign, ProPublica was able to find instances of it still on the platform.

Disinformation researchers tell ProPublica that they also identified posts accusing people of being ballot mules in other states with laws that restrict third parties from submitting peoples ballots. Mule right here in PA, one TikTok post read. Make this Upper Dublin resident famous #2000Mules #2000MulesDocumentary #2000MulesTheMovie.

In Arizona, a Republican state senator named Kelly Townsend has encouraged people to camp out at ballot drop boxes and write down license plate numbers of people deemed to be suspicious. I have been so pleased to hear of all you vigilantes that want to camp out at these drop boxes, Townsend recently said. So, do it. Do it.

Even if 2000 Mules were accurate which experts stress it almost certainly is not the ballot-trafficking theory put forward by the film would not change the result of any election. Rick Hasen, a professor and election-law expert at the University of California, Irvine, says he believes the rigged-election message in 2000 Mules is just the latest attempt to more broadly lay the groundwork for challenging and overturning the outcome of a future election.

If you believe the last election was stolen, youre going to be more likely to take steps to steal the next one back, Hasen said. Its pretty obvious that whats going on here is using false claims of fraud as a potential pretext to engage in election subversion in 2024 or another future election. Thats very dangerous for American democracy.

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'Big Lie' Vigilantism Is on the Rise. Big Tech Is Failing to Respond. - Minnesota Reformer

Likely voters in eight prominent swing states want Congress to pass the Open App Markets Act and the American Innovation and Choice Online Act in addition to other legislative reforms aimed at Big Tech, according to a poll conducted on behalf of the Coalition for App Fairness.

The poll results show bipartisan support for the Open App Markets Act, which prohibits app stores like Google Play and the App Store from requiring users to use a payment system owned or controlled by the company as a condition of distribution. (RELATED: Google Play Bans Twitter Alternative Gab.ai App Over Hate Speech)

Across all surveyed voters, 79% support the legislation. There is little variation based on political affiliation 81% of Republicans and Independents supported the act, while 77% of Democrats did. Additionally, 61% of surveyed voters said they would hold a more favorable view of their representative or senator if the elected official supported the act.

WASHINGTON, DC SEPTEMBER 15, 2020: Senate Judiciary subcommittee on antitrust member Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) questions witnesses during a hearing on anticompetitive actions in Googles online advertising in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill September 15, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

OnMessage Public Strategies and Lake Research Partners conducted live, in-person interviews which surveyed 1,600 likely voters across Arizona, Georgia, New Hampshire, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin between June 6-10, 2022. The margin of error for the poll is +/- 2.5%.

There is clear, overwhelming, and bipartisan support for Congress to pass the Open App Markets Act and other legislative measures, the poll summarized. Across all states and key political demographics, likely voters believe Big Tech companies are too powerful and have not been regulated enough. Likely voters in these key political states are rejecting the arguments being made by Big Tech companies and their allies as they attempt to stave off new regulation.

The poll also showed 72% support for the American Innovation and Choice Online Act, an anti-trust act designed to prevent partisan censorship or discrimination by major online platforms. (RELATED: SCHOEN: Americans Are Sounding The Alarm Over Big Tech)

Overall, 68% of voters across parties agreed that Big Tech has too much power. In regard to Google and Apple, 67% and 59% believed the companies have too much power, respectively. Additionally, 69% of voters said these companies have used that power in a harmful way, according to the survey.

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Poll: Voters Want Congress To Rein In Big Tech - Daily Caller

By Brian Fung, CNN

As Senate lawmakers embark on a final, urgent push to pass landmark antitrust legislationto reshape the tech industry, Big Tech is bringing out its heaviest hitters to influence the members whose votes could decide the bills fate.

Next week, Google CEO Sundar Pichai will travel to Washington to meet with US lawmakers, two people familiar with the plans said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the visit publicly.

Pichais trip comes after Apple CEO Tim Cook was spotted roaming the Senate last week. (Apple did not respond to questions on Cooks visit at the time.) It also follows a report byPoliticothat Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has directly called multiple members of Congress to express opposition to the bill. In a statement, an Amazon spokesperson told CNN that Jassy meets with policymakers on both sides of the aisle regarding policy issues that could affect our customers.

Pichai is expected to meet with both Republicans and Democrats, one of the people said, and in addition to antitrust issues, the meetings may also cover a recent bipartisan push to develop digital privacy legislation. Pichai could also face questioning from Republican lawmakers who believe Google discriminates against conservatives, the people said.

Regulators warn big tech, including Meta more antitrust enforcement coming

We regularly engage with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle on a range of issues including economic growth, small business support, immigration reform and cybersecurity, said Jose Castaeda, a Google spokesperson. Well continue to engage on issues relevant to people and businesses using our products.

The CEOs hands-on engagement highlights the stakes of the next few months for the tech industry in Washington.

Congress is considering multiple antitrust bills, beginning with legislation led by Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Chuck Grassley that could erect strict barriers between a tech giants various lines of business. The proposal represents a direct challenge to Big Techs business models that encourage consumers to use multiple interlocking services owned by the same company.

Under the bill, for example, Google could be prevented from ranking its own restaurant reviews or YouTube links above other sites in search results, and Amazon could be prevented from selling its own branded goods on the e-commerce marketplace it currently shares with third-party sellers.

The tech industry has said the bill would threaten many features and services that consumers have come to depend on and that make their lives easier.

Seal your social rating software in vault then drop it to the ocean floor

Backers of the bill the American Innovation and Choice Online Act have pushed for a Senate floor vote within the next few weeks, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is said to be open to bringing the bill to the floor provided it has sufficient support.

Against that backdrop, the tech industry and its allies have sought to peel support away from the bill with a lobbying effort. In the first quarter of 2022, Apple spent $2.5 million on lobbying, a quarterly record for the company. Over the same period, Google spent $3.5 million, Amazon $5.3 million and Meta $5.4 million. Industry groups have spent millions on ads opposing the antitrust legislation.

Heightening the sense of urgency is the fact that Congress is running out of time to act this year. Surging consumer prices, the continuing war in Ukraine and the Jan. 6 hearings have dominated the congressional agenda. Once lawmakers break for August recess, few expect much progress in the fall, when the midterm elections are expected to take precedence. And a potential Republican takeover of Congress could also reshape the legislative landscape for Big Tech.

The-CNN-Wire & 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.

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Antitrust showdown: Big Tech CEOs head to D.C. to lobby against legislation - WRAL TechWire

During the 2021 federal election campaign, several political parties made commitments to introduce news remuneration legislation.

Why is such legislation needed?

First, the need for strong, independent local news has never been higher it keeps communities connected and informed on issues that are impacting them directly. Covering city hall, provincial and territorial legislatures, our courts, and holding parliamentarians to account is vital to our democracy.

Second, there is a significant imbalance of power between tech giants and Canadian news outlets. To put this in perspective, the market capitalization of Google is about $2.3 trillion; Meta (Facebook) is over half a trillion. Together, thats larger than the GDP of Canada, Brazil, Italy or India. On a combined basis, these companies take of online ad revenues stands at more than 80 per cent. And the pandemic has only worsened the situation.

Third, with the prospect of Canadian legislation, Google and Meta negotiated content licensing agreements with a dozen or so news publishers, including large players like the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star. These publishers should be getting compensated for their content. But we now have a situation of haves and have-nots among Canadas news publishers, with Google and Meta picking the winners and losers. And thats not fair especially to many smaller publishers who have been left out in the cold.

In April, Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez introduced Bill C-18, the Online News Act. Our organizations, which represent hundreds of trusted news titles in every province and territory, support this legislation for three reasons.

First, it allows us publishers to come together and negotiate collectively. Currently, the Competition Act bars us from forming a collective. Given the overwhelming power imbalance, we will be in a stronger bargaining position if we stand together.

Second, it includes an enforcement mechanism. Baseball-style final offer arbitration ensures that parties put their best offer forward and the arbitrator picks one or the other. The hammer of arbitration incentivizes both sides to reach a fair settlement on their own.

Third, similar legislation in Australia is working. According to Rod Sims, the former chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the amounts paid to news organizations were over $200 million. More important than how much is who reached content licensing agreements. Country Press Australia, an affiliation of 160 smaller regional newspapers, was able to reach settlements with Google and Meta. More recently, a group of 24 small Australian publishers reached a deal with Google. To its credit, Google has signed a content licensing agreement with every eligible Australian publisher.

While collective negotiation offers clear benefits to publishers, theres still a big question to answer. How should members of each collective organize themselves it in a way that is inclusive, fair and transparent to all its members?

News Media Canada and the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada believe that publishers large and small should benefit equally from any settlement, based on their proportionate investment in newsroom employees. Simply put, any settlements from collective negotiation would be shared among publishers on a pro-rata basis based on their total salaries and wages paid to eligible newsroom employees.

Bill C-18 builds on the success of Australias News Media Bargaining Code. While not a silver bullet, it brings the value of trustworthy, high-quality Canadian journalistic content to readers through more licensing deals, which will allow more publishers to reinvest in their newsrooms and in their digital business transformations.

Paul Deegan is president and CEO of News Media Canada. Maria Saras-Voutsinas is executive director of the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada.

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Opinion | Big Tech content licensing agreements have left smaller publishers out in the cold - Toronto Star

Big Tech in America has had enough of Congress' inability to pass pending legislation that includes tens of billions of dollars in subsidies to boost semiconductor manufacturing and R&D in the country.

In a letter [PDF] sent to Senate and House leaders Wednesday, the CEOs of Alphabet, Amazon, Dell, IBM, Microsoft, Salesforce, VMware, and dozens of other tech and tech-adjacent companies urged the two chambers of Congress to reach consensus on a long-stalled bill they believe will make the US more competitive against China and other countries.

"The rest of the world is not waiting for the US to act. Our global competitors are investing in their industry, their workers, and their economies, and it is imperative that Congress act to enhance US competitiveness," said the letter.

Organized by the Semiconductor Industry Association, the missive is also signed by top executives in the semiconductor industry, including AMD CEO Lisa Su, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, GlobalFoundries CEO Thomas Caufield, Micron Technology CEO Sanjay Mehrotra, and Nvidia General Counsel Timothy Teter.

The association said it hopes the final legislation will include a measure for investment tax credits that semiconductor manufacturing and design companies can advantage of in addition to the $52 billion in chip subsidies that has been the heart of the bill.

The letter is yet another sign of frustration from tech executives after a US competitiveness bill has stalled in Congress for several months. The House of Representatives passed its version of the legislation in February while the Senate passed its version in June 2021, but the Senate and House have been attempting to reconcile differences in their respective chip subsidies bills, but such efforts have faltered recently.

"We've already wasted several quarters since the Senate acted last year, and now it's time for us to move forward rapidly," Intel's Gelsinger told Congress back in March.

At issue is the problem that the US has been trailing Asian countries in the past few decades in semiconductor manufacturing. This has resulted in the US share of chipmaking falling from 37 percent in 1990 to 12 percent today. Meanwhile, 80 percent of chip production happens in Asia.

Tech companies and government officials have pushed for chip subsidies for multiple reasons: fighting against future chip shortages and inflation; reducing reliance on chipmakers in Asia; hedging against future geopolitical instability, particularly in light of concerns about Chinese aggression against Taiwan; and growing US manufacturing jobs.

Bloomberg reported last week that the legislation "risks collapsing in Congress" in the face of increased skepticism from Republicans, plus the fact that the country is facing other issues, like the seemingly never-ending problem of gun violence.

Bloomberg's report said there are concerns from some Democrats and Republicans that the White House hasn't been doing enough to rally Congress, particularly House members, around the bill. At the same time, White House officials complained that the private sector hasn't done enough in communicating to politicians the importance of passing the bill.

That complaining seemed to work, given that the Semiconductor Industry Association managed to get executives at more than 120 companies to sign Wednesday's letter. While the letter is rather short, it got to the point in the second paragraph:

While many of the signatories of the Wednesday letter represent US companies, there are a few foreign firms represented too, most notably chip foundry giants TSMC and Samsung.

The two Asian semiconductor behemoths are hoping to get their share of US chip subsidies since Taiwan-based TSMC and South Korea's Samsung are in the midst of multibillion-dollar plans to build new manufacturing plants in Arizona and Texas, respectively.

The companies, which have benefited from generous support in their home countries, spoke out in March about the need for the US to consider foreign firms when giving out chip cash. The concerns were made after Intel once proposed that the funding only be used for domestic companies, a matter that the x86 giant has since become silent on.

"Arbitrary favoritism and preferential treatment based on the location of a company's headquarters is not an effective or efficient use of the grant and ignores the reality of public ownership for most of the leading semiconductor companies," TSMC said in a statement to the US Department of Commerce in March.

In all, there are a lot of companies, both foreign and domestic, that are hoping the US will use taxpayer dollars to boost chip manufacturing and research. But we understand why it's been difficult to make the bill a priority, given several compounding issues facing the US, including gun violence, inflation, and attempts to subvert democracy, just to name a few.

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Big Tech begs Congress to pass $52bn chip subsidies bill - The Register

Big companies providing technology services shouldnt be able to hide behind their consumer-facing customers when seeking compliance with bipartisan federal privacy legislation, according to a witness who spoke in favor of provisions being considered by the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

We think there are some innovations in this bill that are extremely helpful, that is, it spells out in statute what the various responsibilities are, for various entities in the internet ecosystem, said Doug Kantor, general counsel for the National Association of Convenience Stores. Some previous bills have left those things to contract. And that's just a prescription for saying the bigger company with more market power will decide who's liable and how these responsibilities get doled out.

Kantor testified before the committee Tuesday on a draft of the American Data Privacy and Protection Act, which has the support of leading House Democrats and Republicans as well as Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee.

Kantor and fellow witness John Miller, senior vice president of policy and general counsel for the Information Technology Industry Council, both acknowledged the significance and credibility of the legislative effort given the span of partisan stalemate that precedes it over issues like the preemption of state privacy laws.

The compromise bill preempts all but a few specific state laws, including one that governs biometric information in Illinois. It describes responsibilities for covered entities, including the implementation of data protection measures deemed reasonable by the Federal Trade Commission. And covered entities are described as any entity that collects, processes or transfers the dataincluding personally identifiable informationto be protected.

But those functions are pretty broad, and one prominent policy measure that fits the dynamic Kantor described is Europe and the United Kingdoms General Data Protection Regulation.

The [draft American Privacy and Data Protection Act] does not carefully distinguish between the different types of entities that use data or their obligations, Miller said. In particular, the draft does not clearly differentiate the responsibilities of covered entities, or data controllers, and service providers, or data processors. This so-called controller-processor distinction is made clear not only in the GDPR, but in all five state laws. Given the complex and variable relationships between entities using data, it is essential to clearly delineate between the roles and responsibilities of controllers and processors for privacy law to function effectively, including to apportion potential liabilities, and the draft should be modified to more clearly define these entities rather than lumping them in their obligations together.

While GDPR distinguishes between data controllersentities making decisions about how the data is usedand data processors, which have fewer responsibilities under the law, it does describe situations in which multiple entities act as joint controllers. That should sound familiar to customers of cloud service providers struggling to implement a shared responsibility model with their vendors for ensuring cybersecurity.

Kantor said, while the bill takes a significant step in preventing big tech companies from negotiating away their responsibilities in the contracting process for joint control of data, with what are often boring old brick and mortar businesses, it should be further improved.

We appreciate that you've avoided that pitfall, he said. We do think that there's more that can be done in this bill to spell out those responsibilities, so that it's clear everybody needs to comply with each part of the bill There are ways in which some of these big technology companies, as service providers, will not need to fulfill those responsibilities. And that responsibility may fall on the brick and mortar business or other consumer facing business. And that liability we don't think is right. And frankly, we don't thinkfor consumersthat they should be put in the position of not getting the rights that it looks like they should have in the bill because those service providers can hide behind the customer facing business.

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Big Tech Clashes with Brick and Mortar Group over Liability in Privacy Hearing - Nextgov

Last week, Apple unveiled updates to its CarPlay software available on 98% of new cars that expand its reach to the furthest ends of a cars instrument panel.

Amazon and Buick are streaming commercials showing a dad confusing his familys car for an Alexa (which is built in). The YouTube comments are harsh.

Google, too, is working on software the Android Automotive operating system (AAOS) which research firm Gartner predicts will power 70% of cars by 2028.

Whats the deal with these tech companies jumping in?

Consider this: The first time youre driven by an autonomous car something that could become normal in 20-30 years youre bewildered. The 10th time? Old news.

And, after the novelty wears off, youll check your phone and, who knows, eat a sandwich? Have sex in your automated car? Studies seem to think you will.

Mostly, of course, well likely engage in the dynamic duo of human activity: work and TV! Unlocking this time will lead to enormous economic potential for tech companies and will most directly impact:

Are cars the next battleground for data?

Where Big Tech sees huge potential in being deeply embedded in the automotive experience, others see alarms going off.

Big Techs already conquered the home and office. Its clear the car is likely next.

Business and tech news in 5 minutes or less

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Why Big Tech wants to be in your car so badly - The Hustle

Is the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) considering taking action to undermine conservative talk radio in a way that would make Facebook and Google's digital monopolies grow even bigger?

Former Trump adviser Andrew Surabianin a piece recently promoted on social media by a who's who list of conservative influencersindicated that it is.

The concern arises from a decade-old proposal, called zonecasting, which has sat on the FCC's desk since the Obama administration. The Democrat-led FCC now appears ready to formally decide on it later this year, and free speech advocates should pray the commission rejects this misguided proposal.

So, what is zonecasting?

It's a proposal that would, at least in the short term, give one company a complete monopoly over operational technology allowing radio advertisers to cut up radio media markets into smaller parts. With zonecasting, businesses, for example, could air different ads in Brooklyn than they would in the Bronx despite both currently being in the same media market.

Zonecasting is one of those proposals that may sound good from a soundbite perspective. Those who often get too caught up in theory (such as the unpragmatic "free trade at all costs" extremists who repeatedly struck President Donald Trump's ire) may think it is a great idea. But the side effects of zonecasting would be catastrophic, especially for the First Amendment.

When have monopolies ever worked out for conservatives or the public at large? Talk radio is the medium that first allowed conservatives to break into the Left's domination of the media landscape, so we should look at any government plan that would create a monopoly in this transformative industry with healthy and prudential skepticism.

Sean Hannity is doing just that. According to a post on his website, zonecasting would "potentially eliminat[e] certain types of programsand perspectivescompletely."

It's not hard to figure out why. The technology permits corporations to become increasingly selective about what parts of town their advertisements run in. That would inevitably drain radio station revenues. By taking less desirable areas directly out of their advertising plans, companies would suck millions of dollars out of the radio industry and put their savings right into their Facebook and Google advertising budgets.

What we have here is a proposal to create an artificial, government-sanctioned monopoly that would empower Big Tech to conservatives' detriment, limiting the sustainability of the talk radio programs that we hold dear. That doesn't sound conservative at all, but zonecasting's supporters aren't afraid to pretend it is. They claim the proposal will be great for stations that house conservative talk radio because the opportunity to tailor and customize commercials across town will permit broadcasters to, for the first time, compete with the "geotargeting" that rival advertisers Facebook and Twitter provide in the digital space.

This is simply not true. Advertisers flock to Facebook and Google not because they geotarget their ads, but because they allow for a one-to-one connection with users, and the advertiser can immediately see how the consumer respondswhere they click, what they buy, and how they react. Zonecasting wouldn't resemble anything close to that. If it did, then most of the broadcast industry wouldn't have already lined up in opposition to the FCC proposal.

There is nothing "free market" about zonecasting. It would create a government-sanctioned monopoly that would make it impossible for most radio stations to continue making a profit. Its supporters deny this point because the technology is voluntarybroadcasters could simply choose not to use it. But the broadcast industry has told the FCC zonecasting is voluntary in name only. Once one broadcaster adopts the technology, it will lower the rates others in the market can charge for ads.

Talk radio is the lifeblood of the conservative movement. We can't allow anti-free market policies to kill it.

Before the advent of the center-right blogosphere and cable news circuit, talk radio (aside from a handful of conservative print magazines, such as The American Spectator, Human Events, and National Review) was the only platform Republicans had to get their voices heard. And even now, with new blogs and TV networks like Fox News and Newsmax, talk radio remains one of the most popular and trusted platforms out there.

Some are already working to rid the airwaves of conservative programming after the death of Rush Limbaugh. Taking action that would weaken this medium while enriching Big Tech platformsthe new wave of conservative media suppressorswould make things even worse. Those who know and value free speech and alternative perspectives cannot and must not allow this to happen.

Chris Salcedo is a veteran television and radio broadcaster who hosts the Chris Salcedo Show on Newsmax TV. The Chris Salcedo radio show can also be heard across the country on the AM 700 KSEV APP.

The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.

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Beware the FCC's New Big Tech Enrichment Plan | Opinion - Newsweek

If youve ever visited Washington, the moment you touch down in an airport, ride the Metro, turn on local TV, or look at the sides of buses, you will find yourself bombarded by messages that you may not understand, from organizations youve never heard of, talking about legislation or some other initiative you dont know. These messages, confined to either downtown D.C. or the insider political tip sheets and newsletters, arent for the ordinary American or even the ordinary Washingtonian. They are intended for members of Congress, regulatory staff, and policymakers, as part of a targeted campaign, usually from big business, to win special favors or block anything that would affect their profits.

In a new series, the Prospect will pick one of these only-in-D.C. campaigns and untangle it, so you are aware of what Americas giant lobbying engine has been doing while you were going about your life.

In the interest of full disclosure, I will note that the Prospect runs on the Google suite of tools. There arent a whole lot of other options if you want to run a business remotely, particularly one that involves sharing of documents and spreadsheets and other media.

This explains why we keep getting messages from Google, encouraging us to speak out about new legislation that could disrupt your ability to reach customers and run your business. Last week, we received another one of these messages, warning us that organizations representing the interests of American businesses have voiced concerns about this bill.

The three organizations cited were the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Progressive Policy Institute, and Springboard, a publication of the Computer & Communications Industry Association. All three of these organizations receive funding from Google. So Googles letter was referring businesses to outside validators who were, in effect, Google.

The Google letter is part of a very robust campaign from the dominant tech platforms, which are attempting to stop two bills: the American Innovation and Choice Online Act, and the Open App Markets Act. The first bill would end self-preferencing, where tech platforms offer up their own products ahead of their competition in search results or other ways. The second would prevent mobile phone giants Google and Apple from forcing app developers to essentially pay them a large toll for access to their users.

Both bills have broad bipartisan support in Congress and both could get votes on the Senate floor as soon as this month. Thats what Big Tech is attempting to prevent, out of concern that the platforms would lose their iron grip over the online (and increasingly offline) economy.

A whopping $36.4 million has been spent on advertising against the Big Tech bills since the beginning of 2021, compared to less than $200,000 in favor. $13.7 million of that has been spent just since May 1. Most of these ads have been targeted at the home states and districts of members of Congress that the tech industry wants to flip to its side.

As the Prospect has reported, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has promised that the bills will get a vote this summer. But he hasnt committed to a date, and other senators are trying to get that vote delayed, so they dont have to show their hand in public and can do the tech industrys bidding in darkness. If the bills actually get a vote, its expected that they will pass.

Thats why the industry is working so hard to stop the bills and defeat the broad coalition supporting them, from progressive anti-monopoly groups to the Center for American Progress to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to conservative organizations to dozens of competitors to the giant tech companies. The industry campaign has floated a number of different arguments, from saying that the bill will boost Chinese tech companies over U.S. counterparts to saying it will force an end to Amazon Prime and other services. But the latest tactic has been to claim that Americans care more about inflation than the tech industry, and therefore nothing should be done to break Big Techs power.

The D.C. tip sheet Punchbowl News obligingly featured this message last week in its newsletter, in an ad (which looked like editorial copy) promoting a poll from the American Edge Project with the heading Voters Focused on InflationNot Breaking Up Big Tech. The American Edge Project, boasting a staff including former New Mexico governor Susana Martinez (R) and former congressman Chris Carney (D), is a dark-money project launched by Facebook.

The poll is made up of a series of leading statements, asking respondents to agree with lines like there are other, bigger problems facing the United States, we should not be focused on breaking up U.S. tech companies right now. Other poll topics include whether U.S. tech companies could fall behind China, the idea that tech regulation could harm national security, and the impact of regulation on small business.

None of these ostensibly more desirable options actually are being held up by these two bills. Its not like Democrats have some sparkling anti-inflation legislation ready to go with bipartisan support. In the realm of the plausible, creating actual competition online, as the two bills would do, is one way to potentially bring down prices.

The national-security-mongering is similarly a distraction. But as with all of Big Techs lobbying campaigns, the American Edge poll and even the talking points very obviously only exist because of Big Tech. Several of the national-security officials who have been speaking out against the legislation are on Big Techs payroll.

Anytime Big Tech tries to generate some genuine organic pushback against the bills, it has blown up in their faces. On June 2, Amazon vice president Dharmesh Mehta placed a note on their Seller Central message board, urging third-party sellers to speak to their senators against the American Innovation and Choice Online Act. Virtually all the responses from sellers took the side of the legislation, while condemning Amazon for spreading propaganda.

In another blunder, Amazon mistakenly forwarded an email to Politico in which a spokeswoman told a consultant to claim that the bills would hurt communities of color. Would it be possible for you all to push this with some of the newslettersPolitico tech, Politico Health, etc., the spokeswoman wrote. Google was caught doing something similar earlier this year.

Thats whats behind Googles little note to us at the Prospect. They are hoping to get an actual human being who isnt as clearly dependent on Google for their livelihood to mobilize against the bills. In the message, Google cited Ryan Berry of Berry Digital Solutions in Ohio, who recently met with his Senator (they dont say which one) to express concerns about the unintended consequences of anti-tech bills.

Some of the small-business testimonials that Big Tech and its allies have put forward have not panned out. A Politico investigation in March found that thousands of small businesses were listed on a directory of the Connected Commerce Council, an astroturf group opposing the bills, but 61 of the 70 businesses the reporters contacted said they were not members of the group.

Google openly states that businesses are often an influential voice in policy discussions, which of course we all know. But the ham-fisted way in which Google and its Big Tech counterparts have been fighting the legislation that means to rein in their practices has sapped some of that influence. Their targeted effort in home-district ads and policy newsletters may yet succeed. But for companies with this much money to fight regulations, they really shouldnt be as bad at this.

And just to wrap up, we have not asked our senators to oppose these bills. But thanks for the update, Google!

Are you in D.C. and have you seen a particularly odd lobbying campaign? Let us know at info[at]prospect.org.

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Random D.C. Lobbying Campaign of the Week: The Big Tech Bills - The American Prospect

TOKYO -- The Japan Fair Trade Commission will publicizeinformation on antitrust cases against big technology companies earlierin the process, looking to gather evidencequicklyand react more effectively to a fast-changing market.

The antitrust watchdog will announce the names of investigation targets and the allegations against them toward the start of the probe when deemed necessary. The change is included in a document released Thursday on the commission's policies for an increasingly digital economy.

"We need to improve our systems and capabilities for gathering information, especially for dealing with concerns in the fast-changing digital market," Chairman Kazuyuki Furuya told reporters.

Antitrust investigation details typically are not made public until the JFTC has closed the case or penalized the company, as doing so could affect the target's business or provide an opportunityto destroy evidence.

The agency will resolve detailssuch as how and under what circumstances to make the announcements. Companies to be named under the new policy will be notified in advance.

Making this information widely available offers advantages under some circumstances, such as in recent cases involving tech giants abusing their dominant bargaining position to force vendors on e-commerce platforms to accept unfavorable terms. Publicizing such investigations could help gather information from others harmed by such conduct.

Given how swiftlybusiness models change in the tech industry, the agency also worries that the usual time-consuming process of collecting evidence behind the scenes may not be fast enough to address illegal conduct.

And unlike in cases of collusion, for example, the practices of tech companies are usually widely known, so the JFTC expects early disclosure ofinvestigations to have little effect on their operations.

Antitrust authorities in markets includingthe European Union, the U.K. and Germany already announce the names of probe targets. But the risk to companies' reputations makes it essential to have clear standards for doing so.

Announcing which companies are under investigation "would have a major impact on their activity, since the public would see it as a sign that they are likely guilty," said Yasuo Daito, a Japanese attorney and expert on antitrust law. "We should be extremely careful in choosing which cases to make public."

The commission also will seekexternal input on merger and acquisition cases, especially in the tech sector, at an earlier stage when necessary. Tech-related companies make up an increasing portion of the roughly 300 such cases screened by the JFTC yearly. The agency wants a better picture of the industry by hearing a wide range of opinions.

As part of this shift, the JFTC has begun seeking outside opinions on proposed acquisitions by Microsoft and Google.

The JFTC also will use information gained from surveys on antitrust issues in case reviews, with approval from their sources.

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Big Tech targets to be named at start of Japan antitrust probes - Nikkei Asia