Big tech

In an extraordinary backflip, Facebook announced Tuesday it will reverse its block on Australian users sharing news on its site and accept proposed government media bargaining laws that force it to pay for content. The capitulation came after Prime Minister Scott Morrison called Facebook “arrogant,” warning against “Big Tech companies who think they are bigger than governments and that the rules should not apply to them.” Discussions between Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg have now delivered a result in the government’s favor and stemmed the fierce public backlash against the media giant. “Mark Zuckerberg said to me today [restoring pages] will occur in coming days,” Frydenberg said, the ABC reports . Frydenberg added Australia had been a “proxy battle” for the rest of the world on the regulation of Google and Facebook. “I have no doubt that so many other countries are looking at what is happening here in Australia, because of this innovative … [Read more...] about Big Tech Backflip: Facebook Drops Australian News Ban, Bows to Government Regulation

President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Neera Tanden, was grilled by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) for her financial ties to Wall Street firms and tech corporations.Tanden, currently the CEO of the left-wing Center for American Progress and a longtime ally of failed Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, was questioned by Hawley for the organization’s donor list, which includes Wall Street investors, Big Tech, and foreign governments. “Do you think that Wall Street and Big Tech companies have too much influence in our economy and society today,” Hawley asked Tanden to which she responded “Yes.” Hawley then asked Tanden to explain how she would “advocate for working people given this history of soliciting tens of millions of dollars from the biggest and most powerful corporations on the planet?” The exchange went as follows: HAWLEY: I also … I am glad you say that, I agree with you and … [Read more...] about Watch: Biden OMB Nominee Neera Tanden Grilled for Taking Millions from Wall Street, Big Tech

The Senate, now under the control of the Democrats, is escalating efforts to reform antitrust law to target anticompetitive behavior by major tech companies. While the reform effort does not address the problem of big tech’s political interference and censorship, which overwhelmingly favors Democrats, it does include major reforms to competition law aimed at preventing Google and other tech companies from colluding to keep out competitors. The bill , named the Competition and Antitrust Law Enforcement Reform Act, targets Big Tech’s exclusionary conduct, adding even more enforcement against the practice than provided by Section 2 of the Sherman Act. “Exclusionary conduct” refers to business activity that creates or maintains monopoly power by disadvantaging and harming competitors. It is a critical concept in determining whether a company is behaving in an anticompetitive or monopolistic manner, a determination that, under U.S. law, is not made by analysis of market share … [Read more...] about Senate Antitrust Reform Bill Targets Big Tech’s Monopoly Power

Australian lawmakers agreed Friday to enable world-first legislation that will make Alphabet’s Google and Facebook pay publishers for content. The news media code, which Google has complained is “unworkable”, makes Australia the first country to challenge the market dominance of the U.S. tech giants. “The bill will now be considered by the parliament from the week commencing 15 February 2021,” Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said in an emailed confirmation, Reuters reports . As Breitbart News reported , the Australian push to rein in media companies has been months in the making and led to claim and counter-claim by Big Tech operators that making them pay for content is unfair. Last month Google threatened to withdraw its services altogether if Canberra went ahead, prompting Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to say: We don’t respond to threats. Australia makes our rules for things you can do in Australia. That’s done in our Parliament. It’s done by our government. And … [Read more...] about Australia Stares Down Google and Facebook: Will Make Big Tech Pay for News

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers Cathy McMorris Rodgers House Republicans urge Democrats to call hearing with tech CEOs Republicans rally to keep Cheney in power Hillicon Valley: Raimondo wades into 230 debate | Google cuts donations to election result deniers | House GOP unveils tech plan MORE (R-Wash.), the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, on Tuesday said Republicans will expand on work they began last year to promote American "global leadership" on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. The congresswoman also indicated Tuesday that Republicans on the committee will continue to target social media giants over allegations of anti-conservative censorship, although such claims have not been substantiated. “I'm certainly not happy with Big Tech, but I believe we can still promote American global leadership while not turning a blind eye to problems we see here at home,” Rodgers said in a keynote address at the virtual … [Read more...] about Rep. Rodgers outlines GOP ‘Big Tech Accountability Platform’