Big Brother Watch has warned that the recently proposed Online Harms Bill is yet another piece of legislation designed to deceive us into thinking the government is protecting us all when something more sinister is likely. Free expression and civil liberty are at stake. The result is a piece of proposed legislation which is as BBW says is “blunt in its force and will have severe unintended consequences”. Think back to the Regulatory Investigations Powers Act 2000, designed to catch terrorists and high level wanted criminals – eventually used by the BBC to catch licence fee dodgers and local authorities to catch underage sunbed use. There are many laws that the government have brought in since the late 1990s now being used against civil liberty and basic human rights.
UK – New Bill Threatens Future of Free Expression and Civil Liberty
Tag: antitrust
Stock market rally amid COVID-19 creates ‘distorted economy’
Will the New U.S. Trade Rep Be Hobbled by Lobbyists?
Will the New U.S. Trade Rep Be Hobbled by Lobbyists?
Tai could represent a new era in Democratic trade policy, replacing both “free trade” scams on one flank, and the incoherent economic nationalism of Donald Trump on the other, with careful, substantive policy that serves America’s economic interest.
But the way these things work, Tai is at risk of having corporate types imposed just below her, in the key deputy USTR slots. There is a revolving door between USTR and powerful corporations, notably Big Tech companies, which have much to gain or lose from trade deals. As I’ve written, the next round of trade deals will resolve significant questions about e-commerce, privacy, the use of algorithms, and much more.
Related:
Joe Biden’s US trade chief pick ‘unmatched’ on China issues, would not be soft on Beijing
[Clete] Willems said she would “share Lighthizer’s hawkishness on China and has a tonne of direct background on China’s industrial policy from her days at USTR”, adding that “having someone who can directly converse with China in their own language is going to command respect”.
Zuckerberg mimics politicians’ tune to fend off competition
Zuckerberg mimics politicians’ tune to fend off competition
Ironically, when Zuckerberg addressed Tsinghua University in Beijing five years ago, he praised “great Chinese companies” such as Alibaba and Xiaomi, and China’s history as “a story of innovation.” But now, he accuses China of stealing technology from the US. China’s technological progress is built on China’s own indigenous innovations. As American companies have devolved into groundlessly accusing China of technological theft, how can people believe that the US could maintain its leading technological position in the world?
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 