CLIPS: 7 April, 2022
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Elon Musk Joins Twitter’s Board, Suggests Content Moderation Policy Changes Are Coming
News that Elon Musk would be joining Twitter’s Board of Directors after buying a 9.2% stake in the company was quickly overtaken by news that Twitter will be rolling out an edit button. Musk has a history of targeting his critics and even spreading misinformation, and his first move as a board member was to tweet a poll, asking whether or not people wanted an edit button. Then, Twitter announced via tweet that they are working on an edit button and will be rolling it out in the coming months. Jay Sullivan, VP of consumer product at twitter, tweeted in a thread that it’s been the most requested feature for many years, but the timing of Musk’s announcement is fueling speculation that he’s directly responsible. While reactions have generally been positive, some allude to the major complications that would ensue for effective content moderation. The primary concern is that once a tweet has circulated widely, it could be edited and its meaning fundamentally changed; one proposed solution would be to reset likes/retweets on edited tweets.
COVERAGE
CNBC, Elon Musk to join Twitter’s board of directors, teases ‘significant improvements’
Bloomberg, Elon Musk Takes 9.2% Stake in Twitter After Hinting at Shake-Up
CNN, Elon Musk buys 9.2% stake in Twitter, making him the largest shareholder
Marketwatch, Elon Musk admits his Twitter investment isn’t passive and reveals that he began buying the stock in January
New York Times, Elon Musk becomes Twitter’s largest shareholder.
The Verge, Elon Musk updates the paperwork on his shocking Twitter purchase to avoid extra SEC drama
The Verge, Twitter is adding an edit button
Techcrunch, Twitter is working on an edit button for real
CBS News, Twitter confirms it's considering adding an edit button
Tech Radar, It's finally happening - Twitter is working on an edit button. But is that a good thing?
RESPONSES
Rocket Scientist Tim Dodd, in response to a question posed by Elon Musk on whether there should be an edit button, tweeted, “Under two conditions. It’s only available for a few minutes, 5-10 mins. And when an edit is made, there’s a small link that shows the edit. This keeps a public record but allows the tweeter the ability to fix a simple mistake and not re-notify their followers with a new tweet”
Elon Musk responded, tweeting, “That sounds reasonable”
Kristine Schachinger, Digital Strategist & SEO Consultant, tweeted in response to the Twitter CEO’s comments on the same poll: “Cannot believe I have to waste my time explaining to the CEO of @Twitter why it cannot have an edit button. Also takes 5s to copy/delete/paste w edits. Or they can pay for @TwitterBlue Spent 6 long yrs fighting disinfo on here, am furious you would even joke about this.”
Anil Dash, board member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and The Markup, tweeted, “The chilling effect on journalism on Twitter will be severe. Musk is known to directly target his critics, including swatting one of his earliest vocal critics. Twitter will not ban him as a board member the next time he attacks a journalist.”
Sleeping Giants tweeted, “It will be incredibly interesting to see how this plays out. If Musk is able to pull the guardrails off of this platform using his stake, the health of the discourse on here will inevitably crumble, sending it back to pre-2015 insanity and making it seem like 8Chan.”
They continued, tweeting, “Being on here will become intolerable for all but the worst trolls. Users will leave en mass. Advertisers will bail. Revenue will plummet. The stock price will follow. We’ll see what he does, but his previous comments definitely forecast this kind of scenario.”
They also tweeted in jest, “Would honestly just take a button that would edit Glenn Greenwald’s tweets.”
Spencer Ackerman, national security reporter and author, tweeted, “If Elon Musk owns 10% of Twitter, this place will reach new depths of hell. I hate any of these companies storing my data & a private enterprise that encourages people to act like/think it’s a public square is a fundamentally dangerous idea. But this guy especially I don’t trust”
Tim O'Brien, political analyst at MSNBC, tweeted, “@elonmusk isn’t in Twitter for the $$ - though he’s already made about $1 billion on paper. He invested in Twitter to push it around — and that should worry free speech advocates. (Musk fashions himself a free speech purist, but bullies critics.)”
Marietje Schaake, policy director at the Cyber Policy Center, tweeted, “If (!) an edit button happens, the edited tweet should show up without previous likes and shares”
She continued, tweeting, “... I don’t think it is a good idea to create an edit function, Instagram has it”
Evan Greer, director of Fight for the Future, tweeted, “i think everyone should have an edit button but also that twitter should assign everyone their own individual editor who gently but firmly makes us all our tweets more readable, succinct and well argued”
Patrick Coffee, from the Insider, tweeted, “As long as the edit feature applies to fonts so I can go back and change all my dumbest tweets to comic sans.”
Damon Beres, editor-in-chief at Unfinished Media, jokingly tweeted, “you should be able to edit other people's tweets”
CEO of Digital Content Next, Jason Kint, in responding to a twitter poll, jokingly tweeted at the people who got their predictions wrong, “Too bad y’all don’t have an edit button.”
FTC & DOJ Promise Aggressive Antitrust Enforcement As Advocates Push For New Legislation
This week, a coalition of progressive advocacy groups mobilized a day of action in support of new antitrust legislation, the American Innovation and Choice Online Act and the Open App Markets Act. The action coincided with an Enforcers Summit hosted by the FTC and DOJ, and preceded the ABA’s Antitrust Law Spring Meeting. The Summit promised greater communication between regulatory agencies and an urgent update to merger guidelines. Jonathan Kanter’s DOJ is taking a proactive approach against platforms acquiring smaller rivals, and he is expected to fight mergers more aggressively in courts. Meanwhile, Lina Khan’s FTC was also in the news this week, demonstrating its tougher stance on mergers in its investigation of the Microsoft-Activision deal. Some speculate that while Microsoft has eluded the most recent round of antitrust scrutiny, this may not last much longer.
Last week, we noted that Lina Khan and Jonathan Kanter gave keynotes at the Competition & Regulation in Disrupted Times Conference in Brussels. Also present was Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO.), who confidently asserted that the OAMA, AICOA, and Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act will “all be law by Summer.”
COVERAGE
Axios, Tech companies, advocacy groups urge antitrust action
Bloomberg, ‘Monopolies Must Go’: Tech Giants Feel Rivals’ Antitrust Wrath
Common Dreams, Antitrust Day of Action Takes Aim at Power of Tech Giants
Mac Observer, Tech Giants Subject of ‘Monopolies Must Go’ Light Show Message in Washington, DC
Daily Dot, Biden DOJ says it supports Congress’ new efforts to rein in big tech
JD Supra, DOJ’s Antitrust Chief Outlines Aggressive Approach to Enforcement Against Digital Market Companies
Bloomberg, Biden’s New Antitrust Cop Threatens to Slam Brakes on Mergers
PYMNTS, DOJ’s Antitrust Chief Warns of Tougher Enforcement on ‘Antitrust Day’
Politico Pro, Are Microsoft’s days as the ‘friendly’ tech giant over?
RESPONSES
The Antitrust Day coalition’s write-in campaign on Monday drew support from over 100 groups and companies, generating over 2,600 calls and 66,000 emails to Congress in support of the AICOA and OAMA.
Signatories included Accountable Tech, the American Economic Liberties Project, Demand Progress, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Fight for the Future, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, the Open Markets Institute, Public Citizen, Public Knowledge, Ranking Digital Rights, and the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (among others).
In a statement, FFTF said: “The OAMA is an essential bill that ensures people have the basic right to choose what software they run on devices they own, and pushes back on restrictive app store policies that’ve been a convenient censorship choke point for authoritarian governments. The AICOA is a common sense measure to prevent the largest tech companies from stifling competition… It’s time for the House and Senate leadership to do their jobs and move these bills to the floor.”
They went on to tweet, “Today is #AntitrustDay, and nonprofits, tech companies, and internet users are uniting in calling on Congress to end Big Tech’s abusive monopolies. We can’t restructure our relationship with tech until we have antitrust laws. Contact lawmakers now.”
In a statement, EFF said: “The promise of all this technology was that barriers would be lowered, allowing more people to exercise their rights—especially rights related to speech. For those who work in securing rights for others, activists and journalists, for example, this has been an invaluable change. However, that promise has been broken by the rise of a few unassailable companies… Services need to go back to competing for our time by being the best, rather than the only.”
In a Twitter thread, the Athena Coalition wrote: “Ever fight while playing the board game Monopoly? That's because the game was invented by antimonopolist Elizabeth Magie to demonstrate the misery and danger of allowing monopolists to operate without public constraint… Today, would Magie ask you to join #AntiTrustDay?”
Public Citizen tweeted, “Do not trust Mark Zuckerberg. Do not trust Jeff Bezos. Do not trust Tim Cook. Do not trust Sundar Pichai. Do not trust Big Tech. Break them up. Regulate them. Hold them accountable. Demand Congress pass the Open App Markets Act and the American Innovation and Choice Online Act to rein in Big Tech monopolies.”
Ranking Digital Rights tweeted, “#BigTech monopolies are a human rights problem. Their stranglehold over the digital marketplace enables censorship, reduces the diversity of online expression, and keeps us reliant on privacy-infringing business models.”
Color of Change tweeted, “#Congress — it’s time to step up, step in, and regulate #BigTech by passing #antitrust legislation that will hold these corporations accountable for discriminating against Black people and abusing big tech’s monopoly power.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James tweeted, “Congress must modernize our antitrust laws to ensure competition remains strong in our nation. Protecting consumers and their privacy, innovation, and small businesses from Big Tech have to be a top priority. #AntitrustDay.”
In a Twitter thread, Competition Policy Director at Public Knowledge, Charlotte Slaiman, wrote: “This is the next big fight for internet freedom. Gatekeeper platforms get to say who gets a shot to compete in online markets and who doesn't. And guess who they pick? Companies they own or those that pad their bottom line or those that protect their monopoly… We need new laws to promote fair competition on and against dominant digital platforms.”
Founder and CEO of Chamber of Progress, Adam Kovacevich, tweeted, “On #AntitrustDay, we are sharing petitions to Congress signed by more than 79,000 voters opposed to pending tech antitrust bills. Voters want tech regulation, but don't want Congress to break services they depend on.”
While Workers Vote To Unionize At Amazon, Alarming Reports About Workers At Lyft, Uber, Doordash Sound The Alarm About Gig Worker Protections
In a stunning defeat for Amazon, employees at Staten Island’s JFK8 warehouse established the Amazon Labor Union, the e-commerce giant’s only labor union in the world. Joe Biden indicated his support for the union victory at the North America's Building Trades Unions Legislative Conference. The outcome of the election to unionize under the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union in Bessemer, AL is still pending where a number of votes will be challenged (though they lean in Amazon’s favor). Across the street from JFK8, Amazon warehouse LDJ5 will hold their election to unionize under the Amazon Labor Union at the end of April.
While the union win represents a historic achievement in the ongoing labor battle at Amazon, a new report from The Markup reminds us that progress on labor in tech is divided between formal and informal workers. According to the piece, more than 50 gig workers have been murdered while on the job since 2017, a statistic that points to the danger of gig work and, labor advocates argue, proves that companies ignore it.
In 2020, California’s Prop 22, which would allow gig economy companies to be treated as independent contractors (not employees), passed after companies like Uber and Lyft spent $224 million to support the bill. Ultimately, it was overturned by a judge in a California Superior Court, but this week’s reporting is a reminder that progress for workers in tech remains uneven.
COVERAGE
Vice, The Amazon Labor Union Took on America's Most Powerful Company—and Won
The Hill, House Democrats probe Amazon labor practices in 'severe weather events'
The Verge, Amazon workers vote to unionize Staten Island warehouse
Axios, Amazon workers' union victory is turbocharging a new labor movement
Wired, When Gig Workers Are Murdered, Their Families Foot the Bill
Protocol, Gig workers say companies are failing the families of killed workers
The Hill, 50 gig workers killed on the job in the last five years: study
The Guardian, At least 50 US gig workers murdered or killed since 2017 – study
Reuters, U.S. gig worker murders expose apps' safety gaps, says labor group
RESPONSES
Robert Reich, former U.S Secretary of Labor, tweeted, “The reality is that corporate America doesn’t want to give up any of its record profits to its workers. If it can’t fight off unions directly, it will do so indirectly by blaming inflation on wage increases.”
In another tweet, he said, “Amazon spent $1 million in union busting costs per every worker-organizer on Staten Island. If the historic @amazonlabor win taught us anything, it's that organized people can defeat organized money. Keep up the fight.”
Gig Workers Rising tweeted, “BREAKING 50+ gig workers have been killed on the job since 2017. There's officially a safety crisis in the gig economy. Gig corps like @uber @lyft @doordash fail to protect or support workers who make their apps run, instead offloading risk to them.
In response, Mark Ruffalo tweeted, “Theme of the week: If we are going to thrive as a society we have to treat workers better.”
The Alphabet Workers Union tweeted, “Worker power is growing! Big wins at Google Fiber, Amazon, Starbucks & The New York Times. Solidarity @amazonlabor, @SBWorkersUnited, @NYTGuildTech & more!”
In a tweet responding to The Markup’s report, they tweeted, “job & their families receiving *nothing* from Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, etc—b/c they choose to classify them as "contractors" instead of employees. All labor has dignity. It's time tech companies took this seriously.”
Service Employees International Union (SEIU) tweeted, “Every day gig workers face a systemic safety crisis. When workers are killed on the job, corps like @Uber @lyft don't provide enough support to surviving family members. This report is enraging. App-based workers demand #GigSafetyNow.”
ACRE Campaigns tweeted, “Gig companies treat the lives of Black & Brown workers as disposable! @Uber @Lyft @DoorDash @Instacart, app-based workers & their families demand #GigSafetyNow!!
Mobile Workers Alliance tweeted, “We SoCal gig workers are rallying outside Uber’s Greenlight Hub in Central LA demanding accountability for tech giants over driver safety! Gig companies must do more to support those who face violence on the job!”
The American Constitution Society tweeted, “Congratulations to the workers on this exciting and important victory for labor! This is significant and momentous victory and hopefully will inspire more.”
Sara Nelson, President of the Association of Flight Attendants, tweeted, “It’s NO JOKE! Kudos to workers like @Jennife67173021 who lit the fuse one year ago in Bessemer. The idea that workers have power to take on billionaires is the extra good kind of catchy! Woot!”
Communications Workers of America tweeted, “The Amazon workers in Staten Island refused to be intimidated and have demonstrated the strength and power that solidarity gives us. By winning their union vote, they have inspired workers around the world.”
The Omidyar Network tweeted, “Congratulations to @amazonlabor and all who fought to make this moment possible! Combined with the close count in the @BAmazonUnion election, it's clear that momentum is building for #WorkerPower. Solidarity with #Amazon workers from Staten Island to Bessemer and beyond.”
New Coalition Seeks To Ban NDAs Tied To Government Subsidies
On Thursday, the American Economic Liberties Project launched the #BanSecretDeals campaign “to expose the corporations siphoning away taxpayer dollars & put power back where it belongs — with local communities.” The coalition is petitioning state legislatures to ban the use of NDAs in development deals, arguing that local officials and businesses have too frequently used them to hide corrupt dealing. The campaign builds in part on a prior report on corruption in New York’s allocation of $10 billion in economic development incentives.
COVERAGE
American Economic Liberties Project, Ban Secret Deals Coalition Launches to Bring Accountability and Transparency to State and Local Economic Development Deals
Ban Secret Deals, The Secret Deals Database
The Hill, Advocacy groups push for ban on NDAs tied to government subsidies
Bloomberg Tax, Secret State and Local Tax Deals Targeted by New Campaign
Politico, Digital Future Daily Newsletter 3-31-22
Fast Company, How companies like Amazon and Facebook fleece communities out of billions
Public Seminar, Meet the new coalition pushing to ban NDAs in corporate subsidy deals
RESPONSES
The AELP tweeted, “Corporations, with the consent of state and local officials, use economic development deals to extract resources from local communities, harm local businesses, and then hide their actions from the public by using NDAs. It's time to #BanSecretDeals.”
They also tweeted in a thread, “Surprise! These deals AREN’T that great — and that’s why corporations require them to be done behind closed doors. In fact, state and local officials are essentially paying corporations to crush local businesses and further entrench their market dominance.”
Helen Brosnan, executive director of Fight Corporate Monopolies, tweeted, “Amazon's big PR team will try as hard as they can to tell you they're making 'community investments' using every buzzword imaginable, but they're actually just destroying local economies. In secret. With lawmakers doing their bidding. #BanSecretDeals”
Good Jobs First tweeted, “Non-disclosure agreements allow companies to extract billions of dollars from residents, who have no idea which company is getting their money, much less what they get in exchange. That must stop. We're proud to join a coalition fighting to #BanSecretDeals”
The Center for Economic Accountability said in a Twitter thread: “Public money should require public transparency. That's why we're proud to be part of the #BanSecretDeals coalition launching today to end the use of nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) in state and local economic development subsidy programs across the country.”
They continued, tweeting: “When big government and big business get together behind closed doors, it's the rest of us who get screwed. Economic development subsidy NDAs create an environment that's awash with corruption, favoritism and political back-scratching, while taxpayers get stuck with the bill.”
Open Tabs
Don’t help Putin and Lukashenko silence anti-war voices (Access Now)
Twitter to reduce reach of Russian government accounts, remove POW content (Politico Pro)
Samsung is working on a Galaxy self-repair program with iFixit (The Verge)
Is the end nigh for end-to-end encryption? (The Guardian)
Senate Inquiry Warns About Harms of Digital School Surveillance Tools, Calls on FCC to Clarify Student Monitoring Rules (The 74 Million)