Zuckerberg Defends Decision Not to Take Action on Trump's Posts

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive, stood firmly behind his decision not to do anything about President Trump’s inflammatory posts on the social network, saying that he had made a “tough decision” but that it “was pretty thorough.” In a question-and-answer session with employees conducted over video chat software, Mr. Zuckerberg sought to justify his position, which has led to fierce internal dissent.

U.S. Trade Representative Investigating Countries' Digital Services Taxes

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced that it is opening investigations into digital services taxes that have been adopted or are under consideration in a host of trading partners to determine whether they are discriminatory and burden U.S. commerce. The investigations, which will take place under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, will examine taxes that have been adopted in Austria, India, Indonesia, Italy and Turkey and that are under consideration in Brazil, the Czech Republic, the European Union, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Google Sued for Tracking Internet Users in 'Private' Browsing Mode

Google was sued in a proposed class action accusing the Internet search company of illegally invading the privacy of millions of users by pervasively tracking their Internet use through browsers set in “private” mode. The lawsuit seeks at least $5 billion, accusing the Alphabet Inc. unit of collecting information about what people view online and where they do their browsing, despite using what Google calls Incognito mode.

FCC Chairman Says 'Government Not Here to Regulate' Social Media

U.S. President Donald Trump’s effort to regulate social media companies’ content decisions may face an uphill battle from regulators who have previously said they cannot oversee the conduct of internet firms. FCC chairman Ajit Pai did not endorse the proposal but said in a written statement “this debate is an important one” and added the FCC “will carefully review any petition for rulemaking.”

Hundreds of Facebook Employees Protest Refusal to Censor Trump's Posts

Hundreds of Facebook employees, in rare public criticism of their own company, protested executives’ decision not to do anything about inflammatory posts that President Trump had placed on the giant social media platform over the past week. Many of the employees, who said they refused to work in order to show their support for demonstrators across the country, added an automated message to their digital profiles and email responses saying that they were out of the office in a show of protest.

Tech Companies Pledge to Support Groups Fighting Racial Injustice

Apple, Facebook, Verizon and other tech giants are pledging to make donations to groups battling racial injustice after the killing of George Floyd sparked unrest across the U.S. In a memo to Apple employees, as reported by Bloomberg, CEO Tim Cook promised that Apple would make donations to several groups, including the Equal Justice Initiative, and match all employee donations two-to-one.

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Senate Bill Would Regulate Contact-Tracing, Exposure-Notification Apps

Senate lawmakers plan to unveil a bipartisan bill that would regulate contact-tracing and exposure-notification apps, seeking to ensure new digital tools meant to combat the coronavirus don’t come at the expense of users’ privacy. The proposal, called the “Exposure Notification Privacy Act,” would erect federal guardrails around Silicon Valley’s nascent efforts to track people’s movements and alert them whenever they come in close contact with someone who has tested positive for covid-19.

Media Outlets Liable for Users' Comments on Facebook, Australian Court Rules

Newspapers and television stations that post their own articles on Facebook Inc.’s platform are liable for other Facebook users’ defamatory comments on those posts, an Australian court ruled, presenting a fresh dilemma for traditional publishers in the social-media age. Media companies encourage and facilitate comments that can be seen by other Facebook users, said the highest court in the Australian state of New South Wales, which includes Sydney.

Publishers Sue Internet Archive for Copying 1.3 Million Books

A group of publishers sued Internet Archive, saying that the nonprofit group’s trove of free electronic copies of books is robbing authors and publishers of revenue at a moment when it is desperately needed. Internet Archive has made more than 1.3 million books available for free online, according to the complaint, which were scanned and available to one borrower at a time for a period of 14 days.

Amazon Removes Racist Language from Some Listings for Headphones

Amazon says it has removed images with racist language from some listings for headphones on its UK site, The Financial Times reported. Users posted screenshots to Twitter of search results for “AirPods” and “bluetooth headphones” that appeared on the e-commerce site. Instead of photos of headphones, the search results showed images that contained the N-word.

Conservatives Divided Over Trump's Moves to Regulate Social Media

Conservatives are deeply divided over President Trump’s executive order directing the federal government to consider stripping some of the legal protections afforded to the social media platforms. Some conservatives are appalled by Trump’s executive order, viewing it as an authoritarian power grab that will lead to government censorship, an explosion of frivolous lawsuits and a massive expansion of the regulatory state.

Trump's Action Against Social Media Services Prompts Free Speech Concerns

President Trump has threatened to shut down Twitter, regulate social media and expand the government’s power to oversee the Web — all part of an assault against Silicon Valley tech giants that he has long accused of trying to undermine his reelection. But what began this week as a verbal spat has since evolved into a simmering legal battle in the digital age, leading experts across the political spectrum to fear for the future of free expression on the Internet.

Lawmakers Want FCC to Speed Up Broadband Access for Rural Areas

Two House lawmakers are pushing the Federal Communications Commission to speed up broadband infrastructure funding to rural parts of the U.S., in a bid to close gaps in high-speed Internet service exposed by the coronavirus pandemic. A bill introduced by House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D., S.C.) and Fred Upton (R., Mich.), former chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, would tap $16 billion in funding the FCC is planning to start doling out this fall.

House Democrats Want FTC to Investigate TikTok's Child Privacy Agreement

A group of House Democrats called on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate allegations that social media platform TikTok had violated a child privacy agreement. Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Ann Kuster (D-N.H.), and a dozen other Democratic members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent a letter to FTC Chairman Joseph Simons, asking that the FTC look into a complaint submitted earlier this month that alleged child privacy violations by TikTok.

Tile Urges European Regulators to Open Anticompetitive Probe of Apple

Tile, the maker of Bluetooth trackers that help find lost keys and other items, is urging European regulators to open an investigation into Apple for alleged anticompetitive behavior. In a letter sent to Margrethe Vestager, Europe’s antitrust chief, Tile said Apple made changes to its operating system that hurt the small California start-up and gave Apple an advantage as it plans to launch a product that is similar to Tile’s.

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