House social media safety bill, drawing backlash, faces dim prospects in Senate
Happy Tuesday. Here’s your Tuesday Tech Drop, the week’s top stories from the intersection of technology and politics.
The House on Monday passed a sprawling bill designed to protect children from abuse and harmful content on social media platforms. However, the House bill — known as the Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act, backed by Reps. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., and Frank Pallone, D-N.J. — seems unlikely to pass the Senate, as it’s faced criticism from civil liberties proponents and Big Tech critics alike.
Some privacy experts are concerned that the age verification requirements to access certain sites could chill free speech and make people’s personal information vulnerable to bad actors. Some critics of Big Tech are concerned that the new regulations exclude a legal requirement that companies “exercise reasonable care” to prevent harm to minors, according to The Hill. And as the outlet noted, at least one Democrat has already declared the House version dead on arrival once it reaches the Senate.
Read more on The Hill.
Trump threats over digital tax
President Donald Trump threatened a “100% tariff” on Friday against any nation that imposes a tax on U.S.-based Big Tech companies. As I’ve written previously, European nations have appeared unwilling to bend in their plans to regulate Big Tech companies.
Read more at Reuters.
Trump’s shocking investment in Taser co.
Financial disclosure forms reveal that Trump purchased up to $5 million in stock of tech company Axon, the maker of Taser stun guns, just months before Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued a notice for a $220 million contract with specifications that experts said match only Axon’s products.
CNBC noted that the White House has said previously the president’s investments are managed by third-party firms, and a White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told to the outlet, “There are no conflicts of interest.”
Read more at CNBC.
The Supreme Court’s geofence shortfall
Attorney Amy Peikoff wrote an article explaining that while this week’s Supreme Court decision on geofence warrants was a victory for civil liberties, the court still didn’t go as far as it could in protecting how people’s data is shared with others.
Read more at MS NOW.
The war against generative AI
The entertainment industry’s revolt against generative artificial intelligence tools continues.
Ja’han Jones is an MS NOW opinion blogger. He previously wrote The ReidOut Blog.
