The subcommittee in the Senate that oversees antitrust and competition policy started its hearings on what reform legislation may look like. Members agree there’s a problem but not on solutions. Following the lead of the House Judiciary Committee, the Senate subcommittee with jurisdiction over antitrust matters held a hearing on antitrust reform. The Senate Judiciary … Continue reading Senate Judiciary Begins Hearings on Antitrust
Further Reading “Millions of people’s data is at risk’ — Amazon insiders sound alarm over security” — By Vincent Mamancourt — Politico EU. Three whistleblowers are claiming that Amazon has widespread data protection and privacy issues, some of which may violate European Union (EU) or United States (U.S.) law. They claimed the company culture was … Continue reading Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events ( 1, 2, 3, and 4 March 2021)
After its report on the anti-competitive activities of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google, the subcommittee is looking to turn its recommendations into law. Picking up where it left off in the last Congress, a House subcommittee renewed its focus on antitrust and anti-competitive behavior in the technology field with an eye to turning its massive … Continue reading House Judiciary Starts To Look At Antitrust Legislation
Further Reading “The Long Hack: How China Exploited a U.S. Tech Supplier” By Jordan Robertson and Michael Riley — Bloomberg. This piece argues that the United States (U.S.) government knew of vulnerabilities in Super Micro Computer Inc.’s products used by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) but chose to keep them secret. This article follows … Continue reading Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (22, 23, 24, and 25 February 2021)
Further Reading “Google, Microsoft, Qualcomm Protest Nvidia’s Acquisition of Arm Ltd.” By David McLaughlin, Ian King, and Dina Bass — Bloomberg. Major United States (U.S.) tech multinationals are telling the U.S. government that Nvidia’s proposed purchase of Arm will hurt competition in the semi-conductor market, an interesting position for an industry renowned for being acquisition … Continue reading Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (18 February 2021)
Further Reading “Sheryl Sandberg Downplayed Facebook’s Role In The Capitol Hill Siege—Justice Department Files Tell A Very Different Story” By Thomas Brewster — Forbes. According to charging documents, Facebook, and not Parler, was the app of choice the insurrectionists used in planning to storm the United States Capitol. And, of course, Facebook initially claimed this … Continue reading Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (17 February 2021)
Further Reading “3G Could End This Year. For People Who Rely on Basic Phones, That’s a Big Problem.” By Hannah Frishberg — OneZero. The major telecommunications carriers will soon shut down their 3G coverage and with it, the last of the “dumb” phones will theoretically no longer work. There are other issues, however. In some … Continue reading Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (11 February 2021)
The FTC and Amazon settle claims the company was stealing drivers’ tips to subsidize wages. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Amazon reached a settlement over the FTC’s allegations that the tech giant was stealing tips promised to the drivers in its attempt to compete with UPS and FedEx in order to subsidize the wages … Continue reading FTC Settles With Amazon Over Wage Theft
Further Reading “‘A kiss of death’: Top GOP tech critics are personae non gratae after election challenge” By Cristiano Lima — Politico. I take these articles with a block of salt, not least of which because many inside the Beltway articles lack perspective and a sense of history. For sure, in the short term the … Continue reading Further Reading, Other Developments, and Coming Events (8 February 2021)
The incoming chair of the subcommittee that oversees antitrust is proposing the most significant revision of U.S. antitrust law since Hart-Scott-Rodino in 1976. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and three Democratic colleagues on the subcommittee with oversight of antitrust and anti-competitive matters have unveiled their bill to remake the United States’ (U.S.) antitrust enforcement regime. Left … Continue reading Klobuchar Proposes Major Update Of Antitrust Law
Michael Kans 