WASHINGTON D.C. — Today, the Federal Trade Commission and New York’s Attorney General announced a $170 million settlement with Google over charges that the company violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by showing targeted advertising in videos likely …
Draft Social Media Bias Executive Order Would Create Real Internet Speech Police
WASHINGTON D.C. — Following months of increasingly angry complaints from Republicans about social media companies’ alleged bias against conservatives, the Trump Administration is drafting an Executive Order on the subject. CNN has just published a leaked summary of the draft …
Facebook Just Bought a $5 Billion Moat around Its Business Model
WASHINGTON D.C. — Today the FTC announced that it had voted 3-2 along party lines to approve a $5 billion settlement over Facebook’s handling of Cambridge Analytica’s misuse of user data to influence the 2016 election. The agreement also lays …
Academics, Civil Society Caution Lawmakers Considering Amending Section 230
WASHINGTON D.C., July 11 — Today, a diverse coalition of civil society organizations, academics and other Internet law experts published a set of seven principles to guide conversation about amending Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996. In …
Hawley Proposes a Fairness Doctrine for the Internet
WASHINGTON D.C. — Today, Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) introduced legislation (press release), “Ending Support for Internet Censorship Act,” that would make popular social networks responsible for third party content — unless they receive certification from the Federal Trade Commission of …
FCC Commissioner Pai Signals Support for T-Mobile/Sprint Merger Following Additional Concessions
WASHINGTON D.C. — Today, FCC Chairman Pai lent his support to the T-Mobile/Sprint merger following additional concessions from the parties. Chairman Pai noted that the merged entity has committed to combining the infrastructure of T-Mobile with the spectrum assets of …
Privacy Legislation: Building Blocks of Bipartisan Compromise
WASHINGTON D.C. — Lawmakers are scrambling to draft federal privacy legislation that can attract bipartisan support and be enacted before California’s new privacy law goes into effect. But where should they start? Join TechFreedom on May 15 for an extraordinarily distinguished …
Techquake: The Biggest Threat to California’s Tech-Sector May Lie Directly Beneath its Feet
This piece originally appeared in Insurance Journal (https://www.insurancejournal.com/blogs/right-street/2019/04/23/524482.htm) California’s technology sector has had a tough year with state and federal policymakers, to say nothing of the general public. Concerns about the size and scope of internet firms have led to …
Conservatives Push an Internet Fairness Doctrine, Again
WASHINGTON D.C. — Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on The Constitution is holding a hearing titled “Stifling Free Speech: Technological Censorship and the Public Discourse.” TechFreedom submitted a letter into the record for the hearing, including TechFreedom’s testimony at …
#243: Will the Electric Scooter Movement Lose Its Charge?
Electric scooters been popping up in cities all over the US, seemingly overnight. While many have found the scooters to be a welcome addition to their transportation options, some local governments have tried to regulate them out of existence. Jennifer …
#244: Utah Wants a Warrant
Despite a recent Supreme Court victory in Carpenter v. United States, progress in defending personal data from government snooping has been at a crawl at the federal level. Fortunately, state legislatures have been taking their own actions to protect privacy. Connor Boyack, …
Democrats Pretend to “Save the Internet” with Sham Net Neutrality Bill
WASHINGTON D.C. — Today, Congressional Democrats introduced the “Save the Internet Act,” a bill that purports to restore the FCC’s 2015 Open Internet Order (OIO). House Speaker Nancy Pelosi promised to move the bill swiftly to the House floor for …
