This parliament has already This is expected to be one of the lowest productivity levels in decades.And legislative work on Capitol Hill typically slows down before a presidential election.
Lawmakers' high-tech ambitions will also face competing priorities, with talks over aid to Ukraine, tax policy and federal nominations all consuming limited Congressional time.
Here's what will be at the top of Congress' technology agenda in the coming months.
Senators are expected to continue discussing the future of TikTok and other apps with foreign ties upon their return, but how quickly they can or want to move remains a big question.
some republicans I've been calling out to you The Senate is expected to consider a House bill that would force a divestment or ban on TikTok “as soon as possible,” but it has also passed a number of other bills. put the brakes on the story Of quick action.
Most notable is Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D.N.Y.) has been noncommittal about how quickly he wants to address the issue or what approach he prefers, and the Senate Commerce Committee chairman maria cantwell (D-Wash) is held the first public hearing.
Several leading senators have warned that Congress could miss a key opportunity to address concerns if it doesn't rush to reach a deal before the 2024 election. “If we don't get this done, we're going to be disappointed that day,” the senator said. Mark R. Warner (Virginia) recently told me.
Member of Parliament mike gallagher The Republican Wisconsin congressman who introduced the House bill targeting TikTok is scheduled to resign from Congress later this month. Cathy McMorris Rogers (R-Wash.), whose committee promoted the bill, is also not running for re-election. That means if lawmakers fail to pass the bill by the end of the year, they will need to find new supporters to push it through the House.
Child safety advocates are calling for a swift floor vote in the Senate. Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA)Last year, he withdrew from the committee with broad bipartisan support and now Two-thirds of the floor supports. If passed, it would be the most important effort to regulate tech companies to pass the House floor in decades.
But questions remain about when and if Senate leaders will devote floor time to the push. Try bundling KOSA For other bills with less public support, Package of legislation targeting child abuse From the Legal Affairs Committee.
Supporters of KOSA argue that Senate passage would significantly increase pressure on House members to adopt the bill, but key House leaders have so far said the proposal has shown little interest in addressing the issue, focusing instead on broader privacy consultations.
After pushing the TikTok bill, House members approved another measure that would restrict foreign “adversaries” from obtaining U.S. personal information from data brokers. Cantwell, who has played a key role in Congress' privacy negotiations, said this was an encouraging move.
Although narrow in scope, it is one of the few proposals aimed at strengthening privacy protections in the United States and is expected to gain significant support in Congress in the coming years.Some House members are asking the Senate to take up this bill alongside the TikTok bill; have a unique proposal May compete for consideration.
McMorris Rodgers also recently reaffirmed her plans to introduce broader privacy legislation. Bipartisan House bill that fell short in the last Congress.
In June, Schumer Launched new effort to regulate artificial intelligence technologysaid it would take “months” but not “years” for Congress to address the issue.
More than nine months later, lawmakers have done little beyond holding meetings and hearings, forming task forces and working groups, and announcing narrow proposals. But both Schumer's working group and the leaders of his AI task force in the House are discussing the potential. take faster action The potential impact of this tool on the 2024 election needs to be addressed, but there is little time to plan and implement it.
Jon Stewart says Apple blocked him from interviewing FTC chairman
In an interview on Monday Lina Khan,comedian john stewart Our colleagues revealed that Apple had blocked him from interviewing the chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, which he did before the abrupt cancellation of his Apple TV Plus show last year. This was one of several disputes the company had with major companies. Kat Zakruszewski The Technology 202 report.
On Comedy Central's “The Daily Show,” Stewart said that when he tried to book Khan for a podcast interview, Apple “literally told him not to talk to her.”
“I didn’t think they cared about you,” he said.Apple spokesperson fred sainz He declined to comment.
In November 2022, Mr. Stewart's staff contacted the Federal Trade Commission and scheduled a meeting with Mr. Khan about the impact of monopoly power on inflation, an FTC spokesperson said. Douglas Farrar he told the Post. Plans for the episode were in progress, but talks suddenly broke down. When Stewart returned to Comedy Central's “The Daily Show” earlier this year, Khan was immediately booked for interviews.
Khan has emerged as one of the sharpest critics of the power of tech giants, and her scholarly works and writings are leading to new lawsuits alleging that Silicon Valley companies are illegally exercising monopoly power. formed the shape of. Last month, Mr. Khan's representatives at the Justice Department filed a wide-ranging antitrust lawsuit against Apple. The lawsuit alleges that Apple is being encouraged to bring anti-competitive strategies into new markets, including streaming.
“Apple's actions go beyond mere monopolistic profits and influence the flow of speech,” the complaint said. “Apple, for example, was rapidly expanding its role as a producer of television and film, and was exercising that role to control content.”
Warning over China's efforts to influence US elections (New York Times)
FTC seeks to help identity fraud victims get their money back (The Verge)
True social cost in 2023 estimated at $58 million, Trump Media stock plummets (by Drew Harwell)
Secretary Mnuchin's plan to buy TikTok leaves some people perplexed (Elizabeth Dwoskin, Drew Harwell)
Sam Altman no longer owns OpenAI Startup Fund (Axios)
How the iPhone will change if the government wins its lawsuit against Apple (Axios)
Google to delete some data collected in 'private' web browsers (by Gerrit De Vynck)
Data from 73 million AT&T accounts leaked to dark web, company says (by Rachel Lerman)
Ready or not, self-driving semi-trucks are coming to America's highways (by Trisha Thadani)
Gmail revolutionized email 20 years ago. People thought this was Google's April Fools joke (Related Press)
- IAB will host a Public Policy and Law Summit today at 8 a.m.
- The Center for Democracy and Technology will host the event “Spring Fling” today at 8 p.m.
that'That's all for today — thanks for joining us! Tell others to subscribe of technology 202 here.Please contact Cristiano (email or Social media) and will (email or Social media) Please give us any tips, feedback, or say hello!
