Category: FTC

Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (5 November)

Further Reading “Confusion and conflict stir online as Trump claims victory, questions states’ efforts to count ballots” By Craig Timberg, Tony Romm, Isaac Stanley-Becker and Drew Harwell — Washington Post. When the post-mortem on the 2020 Election is written, it is likely to be the case that foreign disinformation was not the primary threat. Rather, … Continue reading Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (5 November) →

FTC Asks Congress For Fix Ahead of SCOTUS Decision

The Federal Trade Commission urges Congress to undo three court decisions that have weakened its enforcement powers. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) wrote the House and Senate committees with jurisdiction over the agency, asking for language restoring the power to seek and obtain restitution for victims of those who have violated Section 5 of the … Continue reading FTC Asks Congress For Fix Ahead of SCOTUS Decision →

Section 230 Hearing Almost Devoid Of Discussion About Section 230

The Section 230 hearing was largely political theater. The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee held its long awaited hearing ostensibly on 47 U.S.C. 230 (Section 230) with the CEOs of Facebook, Google, and Twitter. I suppose the title of the hearing should have told us all we need to know about the approach of … Continue reading Section 230 Hearing Almost Devoid Of Discussion About Section 230 →

Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (28 October)

Further Reading  “Administration officials alarmed by White House push to fast track lucrative 5G spectrum contract, sources say” By Jake Tapper — CNN. A company with Karl Rove as its lobbyist may be poised to win a no-bid contract with the Department of Defense (DOD) for the commercial use of its highly sought-after mid-band spectrum … Continue reading Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (28 October) →

Setting The Plate For Section 230 Hearing

The top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee seek to frame the 28 October hearing on Section 230 in the light they favor. Before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee held its hearing today on 47 U.S.C. 230 (Section 230), both Chair Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA) sought … Continue reading Setting The Plate For Section 230 Hearing →

Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (27 October)

Further Reading  “The Police Can Probably Break Into Your Phone” By Jack Nicas — The New York Times. So, about “Going Dark.” Turns out nations and law enforcement officials have either oversold the barrier that default end-to-end encryption on phones creates or did not understand the access that police were already getting to many encrypted … Continue reading Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (27 October) →

Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (26 October)

Further Reading  “Google is giving data to police based on search keywords, court docs show” By Alfred Ng — c|net. Google is responding to keyword warrants where prosecutors ask the company to provide IP addresses for all people who made a certain search within a geographical area during a certain time. In the case discussed … Continue reading Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (26 October) →

Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (22 October)

Further Reading  “A deepfake porn Telegram bot is being used to abuse thousands of women” By Matt Burgess — WIRED UK. A bot set loose on Telegram can take pictures of women and, apparently teens, too, and “takes off” their clothing, rendering a naked image of females who never took naked pictures. This seems to … Continue reading Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (22 October) →

Supreme Court Justice Weighs In On Section 230; FCC To Move Ahead on Rulemaking

A conservative Justice on the Supreme Court opines on Section 230, and then the FCC announces it will proceed with rulemaking to clarify Section 230. There continues to be intense and growing scrutiny of social media platforms that benefit from the liability shield in 47 U.S.C. 230 (Section 230), particularly from Republicans who seem intent … Continue reading Supreme Court Justice Weighs In On Section 230; FCC To Move Ahead on Rulemaking →

U.S. Sues Google

One of possibly two suits alleging that Google engaged in antitrust and anti-competitive practices was filed. This one is arguing that Google’s search engine practices violate U.S. law. The United States (U.S.) Department of Justice (DOJ) and a number of states have finally filed the antitrust suit against Google that has been rumored to be … Continue reading U.S. Sues Google →