- “Tech’s liability shield becomes trade-deal flashpoint“ – Axios. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced her late opposition to including language in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) of language granting liability protection for social media platforms akin to Section 230. Pelosi echoed House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Ranking Member Greg Walden’s (R-OR) objections lodged earlier this year to extending the provisions to the USMCA. However, given Pelosi’s usual savvy approach, why did she wait until the end of negotiations?
- “We asked 2020 Democratic candidates 7 key questions on technology“ – Vox. The following questions were put to the Democratic contenders, most of whom answered:
- Should Facebook, Google, Apple, and/or Amazon be broken up? Why or why not?
- How should platforms be held responsible for misinformation or hate speech on their sites?
- In the event of a crime, should the government be able to access Americans’ encrypted conversations?
- Who should control Americans’ online data, and how should tech companies be punished when they fail to properly protect and steward this data?
- How, if at all, should tech companies be held responsible for the jobs they eliminate with their innovations?
- Facial recognition is largely unregulated in the US. How, if at all, would you regulate facial recognition technology for surveillance and policing?
- What’s the most important tech-related issue that Americans are facing in the next four years?
- “American trash: How an e-waste sting uncovered a shocking betrayal“ – The Verge. An organization dedicated to ensuring ethical e-recycling finds out a trusted partner was shipping e-waste off to China contrary to its commitments. This article explains the policy considerations arising from American’s use and discarding of so many electronic devices.
- “Our Brains Are No Match for Our Technology“ – The New York Times. The executive director of the Center for Humane Technology argues that radical government policies will be needed to address the challenges presented by big tech, for the human brain is proving no match.
- “Oracle allegedly underpaid women and minorities by $400 million. Now the details are set to come out in court.“ – The Washington Post. Despite a different culture from traditional corporate America, big tech seems to have a lot of the same issues regarding discrimination against women and minorities in terms of pay.
- “A Facebook rumor about white vans is spreading fear across America“ – CNN. Social media posts alleging that men in white vans were kidnapping women to either harvest organs or sell them in slavery ran rampant and caused the mayor of Baltimore to issue a warning. Not a single such case has turned up.
- “TikTok settles children’s data lawsuit one day after it was filed“ – The Verge. The suit arose from the Federal Trade Commission’s $5.7 million fine of TikTok for violating the privacy of children.
- “Evernote Gave Dark Web Dealer’s Notes to the DEA“ – Vice’s Motherboard. Pursuant to a warrant, the Drug Enforcement Agency accessed the notes a drug dealer had left for himself in Evernote.
- “Phone logs in impeachment report renew concern about security of Trump communications“ – The Washington Post. Incidental to the House’s impeachment inquiry, the president’s use of a cellphone is again posing security issues as it is possible and even likely that other countries are listening in. This revelation comes a few months after a story that Israel may have been targeting Trump’s cellphone usage.
- “Britain’s Boris Johnson took a selfie with a Huawei phone, a day after suggesting a tougher stance on the Chinese company.“ – The Washington Post. Even though he uses a Huawei phone, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson may soon have his country join the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand in banning Huawei.
Further Reading (December 17)
Published
Michael Kans 