News & Commentary
Social Media Takes Active Stance Against Election Misinformation
The tumult leading up to the 2020 U.S. presidential election may be in the rearview, but the election itself continues to occupy headlines even after the outcome was decided in favor of former Vice President Joe Biden. Disinformation campaigns were a prominent part of the lead-up to both 2016 and 2020’s elections,…
Read MoreThe Look Inside America’s Voting Technology
The 2020 United States presidential election is here, and many readers are probably already exhausted by it. The coronavirus pandemic has added several wrinkles to an already tumultuous election year, marked by partisan disagreement on a variety of topics. Among the popular talking points: reports of issues with voting technology and allegations…
Read MoreWhere the U.S. Presidential Candidates Stand on Technology Regulation
The 2020 U.S. presidential election may be the most contentious anyone can remember, and it has not even taken place yet. Mirroring extensive political divides in the country, the two candidates agree on very little, and the subject of how to regulate Technology companies is no exception. Even still, both candidates and…
Read MoreDisinformation Campaigns Continue with 2020 Election
The 2020 U.S. presidential election is poised to be messy and filled with uncertainties, which may be made worse by a familiar wrinkle: ongoing foreign disinformation campaigns. Intelligence agencies, Facebook and Twitter have sounded the alarm about new cyber-threats from Russia and other countries. The interference may only be getting started. How…
Read MoreA Closer Look at TikTok
TikTok is enjoying a rising profile, with an ever-growing domestic user base now believed to number 100 million people in the US. The company’s success, however, has also raised the eyebrows of American politicians on both sides of the aisle, as part of broader concerns about China’s burgeoning prominence in the global…
Read MoreAntitrust Lawsuit vs. Google Hits Some Internal Roadblocks
The US Department of Justice’s potential antitrust lawsuit against Google may be encountering some stumbling blocks. The Wall Street Journal reports that “some Justice Department staffers have expressed internal concerns… [about] what they view as an aggressive timeline favored by Attorney General William Barr.” While no official announcement has been made, some…
Read MoreHow a Teenager Allegedly Hacked Twitter
Twitter’s high-profile hack on July 15 featured an ‘only-in-Silicon Valley’ level of absurdity. As the internet followed the action live, attackers commandeered the accounts of major public figures on Twitter to facilitate a Bitcoin payment scam. Absurd or not, the damage was real: in the end, CNN reported the account “received more…
Read MoreDuring COVID-19 pandemic, patent case filings are slowing… and surging
According to a new analysis of patent litigation data by industry experts, court filings and litigation activity during the COVID-19 pandemic show declining filings and slowing activity. At the same time, new patent cases were actually up slightly between March and May compared to the same period in 2019. Federal district courts…
Read MoreWill Advertiser Pressure Change Facebook’s Speech Policies?
Facebook is no stranger to public pressure. Antitrust debates, election interference, and data impropriety are just some of the criticisms the company has been forced to weather in recent times. More recently, the tech giant has been confronted for its hands-off approach to content regulation, arguing in most instances that they were…
Read MoreBig Tech, China, and Hong Kong
The biggest technology companies have found themselves entangled in the latest chapter of China and Hong Kong’s long, complicated political history. A new security law that the New York Times describes as “rife with ambiguities” gives Beijing increased legal authority over Hong Kong—including the ability to punish pro-democracy protestors. Now, Facebook, Google,…
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