Politics

On today's episode, we discuss Twitter's post-election malaise, Reddit's growth engine, and LinkedIn's and Pinterest's pandemic pivots. We then talk about Nextdoor's ceiling, TikTok being allowed to stay in the US, and the implications of young creator burnout. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Debra Aho Williamson.

China is increasingly viewing digital data as a national resource critical to GDP growth. New initiatives to increase data flow between private companies and the government exist within China’s broader national strategy prioritizing 5G and blockchain.

Antitrust is touting a new champion: Leading Big Tech critic Lina Khan has been appointed chair of the Federal Trade Commission. The move could push the agency toward increased enforcement of antitrust legislation and a fundamental reimagining of what constitutes monopolistic behavior.

We unpack how Khan could push the agency toward increased enforcement and a fundamental reimagining of what constitutes monopolistic behavior.

A new deepfake detection method developed by researchers at Facebook and MSU uses reverse engineering to trace the origin of AI-manipulated images—a step toward closing the gap between deepfakes and moderation tools.

US officials are using financial incentives to encourage countries to build 5G networks without Chinese-made tech—a shift away from the threat tactics used in past.

Google agrees to cooperate with UK regulators: The company will delay the elimination of third party cookies for an additional 60 days as it works with the Competition and Markets Authority on some competition-protecting proposals.

A new Ohio lawsuit seeks to declare Google a common-carrier utility. While the suit will likely fail, it represents the latest novel attempt by state governments to rein in Big Tech in the absence of federal legislation.

he US tech giant won’t offer its VPN-like feature in China despite its stated commitment to user privacy. This Janus-face approach to privacy risks creating an intractable privacy paradox in China, one of its fastest-growing markets.

More antitrust probes for Facebook: The social platform is facing new investigations, but this time it's a coordinated effort—the first-ever of its kind—from the EU and UK.

A recent Supreme Court ruling limits the US government’s ability to prosecute individuals for misusing databases—the ruling will add legal clarity for AI companies harvesting public data and, ironically, many of the ethical researchers using similar methods in the name of tech accountability.

New G7 tax measures are attempting to force Big Tech firms to pay more taxes, but critics fear unclear criteria could allow Amazon and other low profit-margin firms to sidestep the rules entirely.

A new report highlights how China’s ambitions around global 5G and blockchain dominance are at odds with the country’s stated commitments to reduce carbon emissions.

Amazon's antitrust debut: DC's lawsuit marks the company's first formal complaint by the US government—but with several probes ongoing and with Amazon continuing its rapid expansion, more suits are certain to come soon.

The messaging company sued the Indian government over internet laws it claims will force it to violate users’ privacy. WhatsApp could use the suit to direct attention away from its own privacy controversy and attempt to regain user trust.

Florida passes anti-ban law: The law stops social media companies from banning political candidates, which could throw a wrench into some platforms' initiatives to stop hate speech and misinformation.