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June 20, 2022: Our last chance to defeat Big Tech (for awhile)

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Apple CEO Tim Cook personally lobbying the Senate, June 9, 2022. (Source)

Today: Our last chance to defeat Big Tech (for awhile)

Congress is bringing the fight to Big Tech. Three bills in Congress, all bipartisan, would help rein in Big Tech's unethical behavior. But if the bills don't pass in the next month, we may not have another chance for years - if ever - to fight Big Tech. Mark Hurst explains on the next Techtonic.

• Go to Antitrust Summer for more information and a call to action

• Tech Monopolies: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (June 12, 2022 show)

Bills:

• 1. The American Innovation and Choice Online Act (S.2992, or “AICOA”) - see the official Senate page

Axios: “The most-likely-to-pass of this Congress’ spate of tech antitrust bills would significantly change how giants like Apple, Amazon, Google and Meta do business by not allowing them to preference their own products. Momentum for the bill has never been stronger, but hurdles remain. Democrats are at odds over certain provisions, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has not committed to an official floor date yet for a full Senate vote.”

About Tim Cook: Tim Apple Takes On Washington (Politico, June 10, 2022): “Apple CEO Tim Cook took his charm offensive to Capitol Hill on Thursday, holding meetings with senators on both sides of the aisle to discuss a host of pet issues — especially the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (S. 2992), the tech antitrust legislation that could receive a vote in the upper chamber as soon as this summer. Cook’s Hill meetings are only the latest effort by Apple to deploy its CEO’s star power to wreck the bill’s prospects. He also called members of the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this year ahead of the markup of both S. 2992 and the Open App Markets Act (S. 2710). Passage of either bill could fundamentally alter Apple’s business model.”

• 2. Open App Markets Act (S.2710, or “OAMA”) - see the official Senate page

Fight for the Future: “The Open App Markets Act (OAMA) addresses the power shift on mobile, by banning the shenanigans that Apple and... Google use to assert their power over mobile. The bill is so clean, concise, and readable that it’s not even worth summarizing. You can read it yourself and it’s awesome.” (Source)

• 3. American Data Privacy and Protection Act - draft bill in the House Energy & Commerce Committee from Chairman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), ranking member Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), and Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) - see the official draft document (via Axios)

Excerpt: “A covered entity shall not collect, process, or transfer covered data beyond what is reasonably necessary, proportionate, and limited to provide or maintain a specific product or service requested by an individual...”

“The American Data Privacy and Protection Act presents Congress with the best opportunity it has had in decades to stop the very real harms that are happening online every minute of every day,” said Caitriona Fitzgerald, Deputy Director of EPIC, the Electronic Privacy Information Center. (Source)

Axios: “Congress has been trying to pass a comprehensive personal data privacy bill for years now, with many stops and starts. House and Senate lawmakers recently jolted the effort back to life with a bipartisan draft bill and hearing. But disagreements remain, and the chances the privacy bill passes by August are slim.”

CNBC: Bipartisan privacy proposal is ‘unworkable and should be rejected,’ Chamber of Commerce says (CNBC, June 9, 2022)

• BONUS 4. Kids Online Safety Act - from Axios (June 14, 2022):

“More than 100 organizations, including the American Psychological Association and Fairplay, are calling on Cantwell and Wicker to mark up the Kids Online Safety Act this month. The bill from Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) would require platforms to disable “addictive” features for children and allow kids to opt out of algorithmic recommendations.”

Photos:

Photo from Emily Birnbaum (June 8, 2022), who writes: “Spotted @ today’s press conference on big tech antitrust legislation: a rundown of the sheer amount of money Apple, Amazon, Google and Meta have spent on lobbying this year alone.”



Below, photo from Stanford’s graduation (source), June 12, 2022:


“Congratulations to the Stanford graduates boycotting working at Facebook and Google!”



• Once again, Go to AntitrustSummer.com for more information and a call to action

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