Republicans Boycott Hearing on Online Foreign Influence Operations

Despite the minority abstaining from the hearing, one of the committees in the House with jurisdiction over online matters continued its inquiry into influence campaigns in the context of the coming election. First things first, if you would like to receive my Technology Policy Update, email me. You can find some of these Updates from … Continue reading Republicans Boycott Hearing on Online Foreign Influence Operations

Further Reading and Other Developments (6 June)

Other Developments First things first, if you would like to receive my Technology Policy Update, email me. You can find some of these Updates from 2019 and 2020 here. A number of tech trade groups are asking the House Appropriations Committee’s Commerce-Justice-Science Subcommittee “to direct the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to create … Continue reading Further Reading and Other Developments (6 June)

Privacy Legislation in the Time of Pandemics

Now that Apple and Google have released their Exposure Notifications API and numerous nations around the world are adopting or adapting it in order to trace exposure of COVID-19, numerous concerns and questions about privacy and data security have been raised about this new form of mass surveillance. Even before the development of this API, … Continue reading Privacy Legislation in the Time of Pandemics

FTC Demands Ten Years of Information From Big Tech On Mergers and Acquisitions

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued an order to a number of large technology companies with an eye towards determining if the current threshold for federal examination of mergers and acquisitions is too high for a number of technology-related acquisitions. However, larger acquisitions above the threshold of about $90 million are not part of … Continue reading FTC Demands Ten Years of Information From Big Tech On Mergers and Acquisitions

ACCC Charges Google With Violations Of Consumer Laws Over Android Location Settings

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) announced a legal action against Google “alleging they engaged in misleading conduct and made false or misleading representations to consumers about the personal location data Google collects, keeps and uses” according to the agency’s press release. In its initial filing, the ACCC is claiming that Google mislead and … Continue reading ACCC Charges Google With Violations Of Consumer Laws Over Android Location Settings