Antitrust, Competition Law, Consumer Protection
Big Data, Cybersecurity, Privacy Digital Economy
Introducing Microsoft Mesh. Mesh enables presence and shared experiences from anywhere – on any device – through mixed reality applications
WhatsApp thinks business chat is the future — but it won't be easy. From privacy policy screw-ups to UI questions, can WhatsApp crack the super-app riddle?
The haves and have-nots of the digital age
Europe’s Android ‘choice’ screen keeps burying better options
First time I’ve heard of NFTs…so what exactly are NFTs? Here’s another stab at an explanation. What are NFTs and who's cashing in on them? and here’s a Blockchain expert on NFT's and the Crypto Revolution. NFTs are fuelling a boom in digital art. NFTs are still selling like hotcakes. And someone paid $560,000 via NFT for a picture of Kevin Roose’s column! Bidders say they had many different motivations, including fun, self-promotion, and a signal of support for the NFT market
China set to dominate the global 5G landscape
When Google forced out two well-known artificial intelligence experts, a long-simmering research controversy burst into the open: who is making sure the A.I. machines aren’t racist?
Did the U.S. government miss opportunities to rein in Google? Yes, as this article on Politico explains. It’s quite detailed!
Big Tech helping set standards for Covid-19 vaccine verification. Microsoft, Salesforce contribute to software framework for apps that provide digital proof of vaccination to be used for travel, returning to work
But vaccine passports could be Covid’s next political flash point. The ethical and practical risks are high
Elon Musk says Tesla won’t share data from its cars with China or U.S. Beijing has restricted use of Tesla cars by military personnel or employees of some state-owned companies over national-security concerns
What no one will tell you about robots
Experts say the ‘new normal’ in 2025 will be far more tech-driven, presenting more big challenges
Beijing laid out some ground rules for digital currencies. China has already got a head start with its digital yuan, and now it wants to shape the international frameworks
Africa is the global leader in mobile money providers, especially since the pandemic, which prompted people to turn to digital services over cash. Since 2017, mobile transaction values have increased around the world by 22%, with Africa accounting for 64.5%
Congress warns big tech: “Change Is Coming. Laws Are Coming”
From Washington to Florida, here are Big Tech’s biggest threats from states. The states are moving much quicker than Congress on privacy, taxes, and content moderation
Matt Stoller: Apple threatens North Dakota, suffers crushing loss in Arizona: “A lot of it is just fear.” Also, Apple and Google lobbyists are swarming Arizona over a bill that would reform the app store. HB2005 would allow app developers to use third-party payment systems
CMA investigates Apple over suspected anti-competitive behaviour, following complaints that its terms and conditions for app developers are unfair and anti-competitive
Apple faces EU charges over Spotify complaint. If Spotify wins European antitrust complaint, ‘Apple’s App Store monopoly is finished,’ says 9to5Mac
It will take more than big fines to tame Big Tech (2019)
Why Beijing is bringing big tech to heel. China appreciates monopolies it can control
Brussels: Hailing a ride like it’s 1995. No more hailing rides via apps. Consumers will have to fax their ride request 3 hours in advance if the law is approved
Big Tech critic Tim Wu joins Biden administration to work on competition policy. Tim Wu is a populist antitrust crusader. Biden sets stage for tech crackdown with White House Adviser Wu
An antitrust agenda that builds upon bipartisan ideas, a positive agenda that builds bipartisan consensus and recognises that the antitrust laws must continue to focus on consumer welfare, rather than diffuse and amorphous social goals, and that enforcement actions must rest upon empirical evidence, rather than only theoretical speculation
The House’s Senate Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights meeting to discuss Competition Policy for the Twenty-First Century: The Case for Antitrust Reform
The White House plans to appoint Lina Khan as an FTC Commissioner and Vanita Gupta for the Justice Department’s No. 3 post. If confirmed by the Senate, Gupta would oversee the department’s Antitrust Division. See also antitrust’s hipsters go mainstream, Biden’s antitrust crusaders can’t crusade without Congress and Biden’s likely FTC Nom shows continued antitrust focus.
Biden taps tech antitrust advocate Lina Khan for FTC, in yet another bad omen for Silicon Valley
Misguided crusade for tech antitrust will exacerbate inequality
How algorithms are used to hurt consumers and competition
Facebook asks court to toss federal antitrust suit seeking breakup but the UK’s CMA is planning to start its probe
Visa faces antitrust investigation over debit-card practices. Justice Department probe focuses on whether Visa’s actions allow it to maintain a dominant market share unlawfully. Visa shares fall 6%
EU infighting risks delaying landmark effort to curb Big Tech
How Washington fumbled the future. A decade ago, a surging Silicon Valley giant was making plans to dominate the internet. Given a chance to stop it, regulators chosen by Barack Obama misread the evidence in front of their eyes
Standard Oil to Microsoft: Monopolisation cases and their effect on consumers [YouTube]
Sally Hubbard, author of Monopolies Suck, was interviewed by #TechReg on what antitrust is and why it matters. “Tech platforms are finally being held accountable for illegal practices they’ve been engaging in for years that violate antitrust laws meant to protect open and competitive markets.”
Apple and Epic’s top execs plan to testify live and in person this May in the Fortnite app store trial
Zephyr Teachout on Monopoly v Democracy: How to End a Gilded Age
“Bridge Over Troubled Water” – Crossing the Enforcement Gulf for Digital Platforms
Digidog, a robotic dog used by the police, stirs privacy concerns. The New York Police Department has been testing Digidog, which it says can be deployed in dangerous situations and keep officers safer, but some fear it could become an aggressive surveillance tool
AI and privacy are on a collision course
Balancing privacy with data sharing for the public good. Socially valuable data can be combined with standards that safeguard individual privacy, says David Deming, an economist
International personal-data transfer amid regulatory upheaval
Companies are using this email trick to spy on you – here’s how to stop them
Microsoft says Chinese hackers have exploited Exchange flaws to steal email data. White House warns of large number of victims in Microsoft hack.
Reflecting on Data Privacy Day 2021 (28 Jan) and why it mattered more than ever before
PAPER – The governance of data sharing (2021)
Data is the world’s most valuable (and vulnerable) resource. There is a gaping hole in the data loss prevention market
America, your privacy settings are all wrong. Using an opt-in approach will help curb the excesses of Big Tech
Russian hackers used Lithuania’s IT infrastructure for attacks against vaccine developers
Nothing personal, but ethical AI is our strongest weapon in data privacy wars
Transparency International says regulate online political ads for greater political integrity. Governments must update election laws to ensure online political advertising is legitimate, its financing transparent, and microtargeting is kept to a minimum. And they need to hold platforms accountable
What is digital sovereignty and why is Europe so interested in it?
Prospects, pitfalls of high tech
Has the targeted advertising model had its day? [YouTube]
How Google became a ‘click cannibal’
Only 18% of organisations in a 2019 survey by Deloitte reported being able to take advantage of unstructured data such as text, video, audio, web server logs, and social media
Virtual meetings spur sales in books for backgrounds
Bill Gates’s latest book, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need, is out
As is Adam Grant’s Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know
Sherry Turkle talks going remote, loneliness, and her new book. In The Empathy Diaries, the pioneering computer researcher finally studies her own life and why now was the right time
The late Anthony Bourdain’s forthcoming book ‘World Travel’ is inspiring our post-pandemic trips
Two new books by Mark Carney and Minouche Shafik turn Margaret Thatcher’s notions on society upside down with calls for a new social contract
FULFILLMENT: Winning and Losing in One-Click America by Alec MacGillis asks What Is Amazon Doing to Our Country?
The ‘Glass Cliff’ challenge for corporate governance
Pinterest and the subtle poison of sexism and racism in Silicon Valley
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Investing: The top 5 drivers, according to investors. Companies need to take a clean sheet approach to ESG and actually make ESG a strategic priority that drives value and competitive differentiation?
Amazon is financing 1,300 units of affordable housing next to its new headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. Is it enough to offset the dreaded Amazon Effect?
Inside Pfizer’s fast, fraught, and lucrative vaccine distribution. Although a hero of the pandemic for its Covid-fighting wonder shot, its still made entire countries angry
Drug companies defend vaccine monopolies in face of global outcry. As immunisation gap widens between rich and poor countries, the industry faces a battle over patents and know-how
Electric vehicles are the U.S. auto industry’s future—if dealers can figure out how to sell them. Car dealers are struggling to square industry’s enthusiasm with shoppers’ reality
Five legal and regulatory trends likely to impact cross-border trade and investment in 2021 as the world emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic
British gig economy workers win case against Uber. Britain’s business minister today praised Uber’s decision to grant its drivers “worker” status rather than independent contractor status, entitling them to minimum wage, vacation pay and pensions. The NYT on Why Do British Uber Drivers Deserve Better Benefits? Gig work doesn’t have to be a race to the bottom
Market power grows…Rogers, Shaw to combine in $16 billion deal. Canadian communications companies seek to invest in rollout of 5G wireless service
Patrick and John Collison are 30-something billionaires, who founded the $95bn start-up known as Stripe, Silicon Valley’s most prized asset. Underpinning the $95bn valuation is investors’ belief that payments digitisation still has some way to run. Stripe’s $95bn price tag heralds internet shift from ads to commerce. A new online commerce and payments infrastructure is finally starting to evolve
Saudi Aramco reported a 44% collapse in full year earnings, as the coronavirus punched the global economy, oil prices, volumes, and refining margins. It still declared a dividend of $75 billion and remains one of the world’s most profitable companies
McKinsey is facing a moment of reckoning. The 95-year-old firm has a growing reputation problem
COVID-19 gave e-Commerce a $183B boost in sales. At current growth rates, Adobe expects the 2021 calendar year will bring in somewhere between $850 billion and $930 billion and $1 trillion in 2022
For delivery apps in the UAE, it’s a race to the bottom. Careem and Noon are fighting for control of the market, but restaurants say they’re getting the squeeze
India's draft e-commerce policy calls for equal treatment of sellers, amid complaints from brick-and-mortar retailers who allege online giants like Amazon and Walmart's Flipkart flout federal regulations. Amazon asks India not to alter e-commerce investment rules
What’s next For AI and e-Commerce?
Alibaba's grip on e-commerce pried loose by rivals and regulators. Pinduoduo beats established leader in active users amid shifting market trends
How COVID-19 triggered the digital and e-commerce turning point. More international co-operation needed to better protect consumers
How can increased openness to trade in services support a strong economic recovery? See the replay
Yasuyuki Sawada, chief economist at the Asian Development Bank (ADB), presented one of the ADB’s flagship publications, Asian Economic Integration Report 2021, followed by a Q&A session moderated by Peterson Institute’s president Adam Posen
Daron Acemoğlu on Remaking the Post-COVID World
The Biden economy risks a speeding ticket. The administration’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package may be too much for safety, an economist says
How Covid-19 triggered America’s first female recession in 50 years. Recent studies find that women dropped out of the labour market to school their children
After oil, steel prices are making India’s economic recovery harder
Don't fall victim to newest scams
A career expert shares 5 questions she wishes more candidates 'had the guts to ask' during job interviews
Each human brain possesses a unique, intricate pattern of 86 billion neurons. If science can map it, immortality beckons
The world's best universities in 2021
Paramount’s next Star Trek movie writer has been chosen
Zack Snyder’s Justice League indulges the fans and no one else. Superfans campaigned for a do-over of a 2017 film. They got a four-hour runtime—and only a slightly better movie.
The global state of food security [Forbes infographic]
Why India’s farmers fight to save a broken system. Plagued with malnutrition, government support has led to wasted crop surpluses. But with jobs lacking, many feel they have little choice but to work the land.
India, the world’s largest democracy, is now powered by a cult of personality. How Prime Minister Narendra Modi refashioned his governing party
A worrying tide of vaccine protectionism. Italy’s block on a shipment to Australia creates risks of escalation
How rising vaccine nationalism could worsen the pandemic
China breaching every article in genocide convention, says legal report on Uighurs. Thinktank publishes first non-governmental legal examination of China’s actions in Xinjiang
U.S.-Chinese rivalry is a battle over values. Great-Power competition can’t be won on interests alone
Mark Carney: a chance to reboot globalisation. The former governor of the Bank of England offers four principles for a more equitable global economy
The pandemic has created a less-connected world. Here’s a snapshot of two days, a year apart
Massive cargo ship becomes wedged, blocks Egypt’s Suez Canal. Fears grow that efforts to free ship could take weeks. Suez canal drama – and a tiny bulldozer – inspire wave of memes. Big ship getting stuck in a too-narrow waterway has spawned invocations of poetry, the pandemic, and Austin Powers. Suez Canal: critical waterway comes to a halt
The Suez Canal isn't the only waterway the world should be worried about
The Suez Canal transformed Mumbai—and its sex trade
Who conquered the Virus?
Vaccines stop COVID-19 Infection, but here’s why you still need to wear a mask
Dr. Fauci chooses between Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines on ‘Colbert.’ “I would pick the one that was the most readily available to me”
Remember: you’re not fully vaccinated the day of your last dose
And Covid jabs are at the sharp end of political risk. Pharma executives, engaged in an effort beneficial to the whole world, did not expect to see such a danger
Fearmongering vaccine stories go viral online
Japan said people won’t get to choose their vaccine after all.
Some 40% of respondents to a survey from the American Psychological Association reported weight gain over the past year
Healthy reasons to consume coffee every day. Coffee aficionados worldwide rejoice as researchers deem it one of the healthiest beverages
Have you had enough? What does “enough” look like for you? How will you know when you get there?
Robin Sharma’s The 5 a.m. Club’s key lessons summarised
Is too much choice ruining us? Readers mostly agree with Paul Krugman that it’s an unwanted feature of modern life. Too much choice was something explored in detail by Columbia University’s Sheena Iyengar in the early 2000s
Subscriptions are getting out of hand. Here’s how to manage them. Beware free trials, turn off auto-renew, and look for forgotten recurring charges in your app-store settings…and if you’re not reading something, hit unsubscribe!
Impostor syndrome may not be so bad after all. Michelle Obama shares her thoughts on it
What’s the right way to find a mentor?
I can’t stop thinking about you, sang Sting…why you can't stop thinking about something
Daniel Kahneman on how to stop being overly attached to your ideas
Have the courage to be open and find resonance with others in your personal life and in your work life
Over 3 million people took this course on happiness. What some learned seems simple, but it bears repeating: sleep, gratitude, and helping other people.
How companies can respond to the Coronavirus. The companies and employees at ground zero of the COVID-19 outbreak provide insight into what works in a time of crisis — and what doesn’t
A year into remote work, no one knows when to stop working anymore. Workers are exhausted from nonstop working from home
The fundamentals of transforming from Matrix to Agile
How the best leaders build trust at work
Management as a Calling: How MBAs can make the world a better place
The CEO whisperer: ‘Every leader needs a fool.’ Management thinker Manfred Kets de Vries on the secrets of staying grounded at the top
Jeff Immelt: What I learned from failure. In an excerpt from his new book, the former CEO of GE shares hard-won wisdom about surviving defeat, coping with regret and moving forward
After the 2008 financial crash, Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone described Goldman Sachs, that great titan of financial capitalism, as a “great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money.” Nothing has changed since then. Junior Goldman Sachs bankers complain of 95-hour week. Group of first-year analysts send slide deck to management calling for reforms to reduce workload.
Burnout: can investment banks cure their addiction to overwork? Peer pressure and entrenched management attitudes stand in the way of change
McKinsey’s 10 must-read posts from 2020. Revisiting the top blog posts that helped organizations thrive in 2020
The secret of adaptable organisations is trust. Want to improve your company culture? Try happiness
The changing nature of work. Are superstar employees about to be offshored? ‘To quote the scary new mantra: if you can do your job from anywhere, someone anywhere can do your job’
How to combat virtual meeting fatigue. What exactly makes virtual meetings so draining, and what can leaders do to improve them?
Are NFTs the future of digital music or just crypto snobbery?
Kings of Leon will be the first band to release an album as an NFT. The band’s revolutionary tokens will unlock special perks like limited-edition vinyl and front row seats to future concerts
How Aerosmith’s final top 10 hit left bandmates ‘Jaded’
U2’s I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For dissected
10 things you didn’t know about Radiohead’s ‘The Bends.’ How the long shadow of “Creep,” a supernatural novel, a cameo from a future ‘Walking Dead’ actor, and more played into the band’s 1995 alt-rock classic
Paul Jackson, funk bassist with Herbie Hancock, dies at 73. He was an integral member of Mr. Hancock’s jazz-funk band the Headhunters, whose albums reached millions in the 1970s
Lana Del Rey takes a road trip into the past
Musicians are in peril, at the mercy of giant monopolies that profit off their work, says David Dayen
Pakistan is banning TikTok for the second for ‘peddling vulgarity’ and ‘immoral content.’
Government working on mechanism to place ads on digital media
Pakistan [finally] buys 1 million vaccine doses from China
Facebook helped fund David Brooks’ second job. The New York Times columnist has been promoting the Weave Project without disclosing his potential conflicts of interest to his readers
Amanda Gorman, inaugural poet, called a threat by a security guard on her walk home
Mark Carney — a chance to reboot globalisation. The former governor of the Bank of England offers four principles for a more equitable global economy
Fareed Zakaria on Putin, the Dalai Lama and Race in America
Diversity review under way at Buckingham Palace
Facebook to end ban on political ads in United States
How Facebook got addicted to spreading misinformation. The company’s AI algorithms gave it an insatiable habit for lies and hate speech. Now the man who built them can't fix the problem
Facebook removing recommendations for political and social groups globally to reduce the reach of groups that break site rules, including showing them lower in algorithmic recommendations and alerting people when they go to any that have previously violated policies. New groups on any topic would need to wait 21 days before becoming eligible for recommendation in order to give Facebook time to understand how it operates
India threatens to jail social-media employees, including Facebook, its WhatsApp unit, and Twitter Inc. The threats stem from reluctance to comply with data and takedown requests involving farmers’ protests. Also, India has been making new rules that grant its leaders extensive power over online discourse. Under these rules, companies such as WhatsApp must also help identify the originator of messages sent through their networks, even if they are encrypted end-to-end. For more context: Twitter vs. India. Twitter is defying a democratically elected government. We should all watch what happens next.
The 31 best LinkedIn profile tips for job seekers
How Line is fighting disinformation without sacrificing privacy. The chat app’s Fact Checker programme is proving that private messaging platforms can do more to moderate harmful content
Did WhatsApp fail us during the pandemic? Misinformation tends to stay on it four times longer than authentic information
Instagram is working to make the platform safer for its teenage users by limiting unwarranted contact from adults
Tech CEOs to face questions on online disinformation, Trump ban. Chief executives of Alphabet, Facebook and Twitter are appearing before a House panel on 25 March. They were asked about their role in Capitol attack as protesters mock them with giant cut-outs. Here are five takeaways from the virtual hearing (which featured surprising few technical issues, other than the usual confusion over finding the mute button). CEOs Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, and Jack Dorsey take tough questions from lawmakers, on topics from misinformation to children's screen time. Lawmakers got few direct answers
The leaders of Google, Facebook and Twitter faced sharp questions about misinformation’s role in the attack and the mental health of children who use their products.
Section 230: What it is, and why politicians want to change it. The foundational U.S. internet law is under more scrutiny than at any time in its history. Here is what to know about the debate, the law and how it could be changed
Clueless About Discord? Two avid readers from South Africa show what they find special about this talking and texting app
Trump May Start a Social Network. Kara Swisher’s advice: Recast your past failures as successes, engage in meaningless optics, and other tips from the Silicon Valley playbook.
Should you get divorced? Global trends show a mixed picture
Adoption moved to Facebook and a war began. Regretful adoptees and birth mothers are confronting prospective parents with their personal pain – and anger
Stephen Dubner of Freakonomics on why are we so attracted to fame?
There’s a popular backlash against experts and why it matters
How the KitKat went global. From wasabi to matcha flavours, Gillian Tett on what the British snack’s reinvention in Japan tells us about cultural identities
The World Happiness Report 2021 focuses on the effects of COVID-19 and how people all over the world have fared
Singapore aims to produce 30% of its own food by 2030. But with 90% of Singapore’s food coming from abroad, the challenge is a tall order. The plan calls for everyone in the city to grow what they can, with government grants going to those who can use technology to yield greater amounts of food from their urban farms.
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