The tech industry’s content liability shield should be tightened because its protections have expanded well beyond the original intent, House Commerce Committee ranking member Greg Walden, R-Ore., told us Thursday. Congressional scrutiny of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act is growing.
Governments should quicken their pace to increase tech regulation, Microsoft President Brad Smith said during an interview with C-SPAN's The Communicators, to have been televised this weekend. A strong federal privacy law is vital, but a global solution is best, he said, noting Microsoft is “pretty enthusiastic” about EU’s general data protection regulation. “Digital technology has gone longer with less regulation than almost any technology since the middle of the 1800s,” he said. “The market, consumers and even the industry itself would be better served for the long term with a different balance.” He noted the importance of data centers and Ireland, which he said is to data what Switzerland is to money. Ireland is a safe place with mild temperatures for data centers and a network of laws for protecting privacy and moving data, he said, noting about 35 percent of European data is stored in Ireland. Microsoft has more than 100 data centers in 20 countries, he said. It’s becoming the largest consumer of electricity in the world, the executive said. The weaponization of data starts with hacking by political states waging disinformation campaigns, Smith said, noting Microsoft spends $1 billion yearly on security.
The FTC will review social media advertising guidance in 2020, the agency confirmed (see 2001300032) Thursday. It will consider updating ad endorsement and testimonial guidance involving unfair and deceptive ad laws the FTC polices.
House Science Committee ranking member Frank Lucas, R-Okla., introduced legislation that would establish a national science and technology strategy targeting Chinese threats. Citing risks of losing U.S. leads in quantum information science, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing, Lucas introduced the Securing American Leadership in Science and Technology Act during a hearing Wednesday. It would authorize “doubling of basic research funding over the next 10 years at the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.” He said in his opening remarks: “To support the industries of the future, we need workers with STEM skills at all levels.” Chair Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, didn’t sign onto the bill, which has gotten only Republican support. “I do not want to cause any confusion about where I stand. I remain as firmly committed as ever to our investments across all fields of science and engineering as well as the humanities,” she said in prepared remarks, citing the need to maintain U.S. competitive advantages. America should be gearing policy and legislation to compete “effectively” in the 2030s, testified ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt, founder of Schmidt Futures. He cited AI trends suggesting China will overtake the U.S. in five to 10 years. On changes in R&D since 2000, “China has accounted for almost one-third of the total global growth,” testified National Science Board Chair Diane Souvaine. Georgia Institute of Technology Executive Vice President-Research Chaouki Abdallah urged a commitment “to the long-term increase and certainty in federal investment.”
Maryland should tax digital ad giants like Facebook and Google so they pay their fair share to fund vital education infrastructure, state Senate Democrats and advocates said Wednesday. Various Republican Senators questioned a Democratic tax proposal considered Wednesday at a hearing before the Senate Taxation Committee, which didn’t make a formal recommendation. The Internet Association and advertisers testified the legislative proposal is a discriminatory tax that violates the Constitution.
The FTC will review social media-related advertising guidelines in 2020, the agency confirmed Thursday. It will consider updating “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” The guides offer insight into how the agency views truthfulness and deceptiveness in ads.
The office of Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., is exploring Section 230-related legislation dealing with election misinformation, she said Tuesday at the State of the Net internet policy conference. “It’s very, very early right now, but I absolutely want to do something, even if it’s narrow on 230” of the Communications Decency Act, Schakowsky told reporters. “If we can craft something, there will definitely be some more hearings, no question about that.” Throughout her talk, she cited blatant lies hosted by Facebook.
Tech industry officials praised the Trump administration for defending U.S. interests against France’s digital services tax. France agreed to delay collecting new taxes on tech companies until the end of the year after the administration threatened to levy tariffs on $2.4 billion of French goods (see 1908190043 and 1912030002).
The House Consumer Protection Subcommittee’s privacy draft bill is a significant shift in the privacy debate, but more compromise is needed, the Center for Democracy & Technology commented Friday. Public Knowledge, the Internet Association, CTA and BSA|The Software Alliance offered suggestions for improving the legislation by Friday’s subcommittee deadline (see 2001080072).
Facebook’s unwillingness to ban or fact-check political commercials (see 2001090029) is grossly irresponsible and undermines democracy, said Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, in interviews earlier this month. Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., argued the company is right. He trusts Americas to “do their own fact-checking.”