Happy Tuesday. Here’s your Tuesday Tech Drop, the week’s top stories from the intersection of technology and politics.
Social media law under scrutiny
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.
Streaming platform TIDAL announced this week it will start labeling music that is wholly or substantially created using AI tools, Variety reported. And actor Sean Astin, from “Rudy” and The Lord of the Rings franchise, took artists’ AI grievances to Washington, where he testified to the House about the importance of individuals retaining control over their voices and likenesses.
Watch a clip of Astin’s testimony below:
Fox News apologizes for data center claim
Fox News issued an on-air apology after pro-Trump investor Kevin O’Leary baselessly suggested on the network that China played a role in fueling backlash to a controversial data project he had a hand in developing in Utah.
Watch a clip of the mea culpa here:
Fisk University faces backlash
Speaking of data centers, Fisk University, a well-known historically Black school, is facing local backlash over its plan to construct a massive data center on campus to deal with its funding issues.
Read my blog on the backlash here.
Livestream lechery
Digital outlet Complex published a video that spotlights the dangers some women experience on popular live stream platforms, where some male social media influencers have been known to take liberties, invading women’s personal space or targeting them with unwanted sexual advances.
Watch the Complex video here.
The post House social media safety bill, drawing backlash, faces dim prospects in Senate appeared first on MS NOW.
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