Surveillance Capitalism

Texas Social-Media Law Upheld by Federal Appeals Court

September 20, 2022

The 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans upheld the validity of a Texas social media law that prevents tech giants, including Meta Platforms Inc. and Twitter Inc. from censoring and discriminating on the basis of viewpoint.
Top EU Court Upholds EU Antitrust Decision Against Google

September 14, 2022

The European Commission has upheld the recent decision against Google, ruling that the tech giant broke competition rules and was fined 4.1 billion euros.
U.S. Regulator Sues Data Broker Over Sale of Consumer Location Information

August 30, 2022

Adtech group Kochava, a data broker that measures the effectiveness of mobile marketing, has been sued by the US Federal Trade Commission for selling location data from millions of mobile users that could be used to trace individuals’ movements.
Concerns over Privacy after Two New Amazon Acquisitions

August 29, 2022

Amazon expands its Empire by acquiring One Medical and iRobot, leading to concerns about the companies growing capacity to surveil consumers.
Spectator Australia: Australia’s corporate Surveillance State

June 22, 2022

In Australia it was recently discovered by consumer group Choice that multiple corporations including Kmart and Bunnings Warehouse refer to facial recognition in their privacy policies and may have been using facial recognition technology, ‘capturing the biometric data of their customers’.
Meta Challenges Authority of German Regulator at Top EU Court

May 11, 2022

Meta has challenged in the European Court of Justice a 2019 decision by the German competition authority that found 95% of Facebook’s market share in Germany allowed the company to violate data privacy rules.
Twitter Accepts Elon Musk’s Buyout Deal

April 27, 2022

Twitter’s board has accepted billionaire Elon Musk’s offer of nearly $44 billion to purchase the social media giant, making it a private company with goals of reinstating free speech and enhancing the product with new features including authenticating all humans
Elon Musk Takes 9.2% Stake in Twitter

April 08, 2022

After taking a poll last month to his 80 million Twitter followers asking whether or not the company adheres to the principles of free speech, Elon Musk took a 9.2% stake in Twitter Inc. to become the platform’s biggest shareholder, leading to a surge in shares.
Facebook Allows Posts Urging Violence against Russians

March 14, 2022

According to Reuters, Meta Platforms will allow Facebook and Instagram users to call for violence against Russians and Russian soldiers concerning the Ukraine invasion, changing their hate speech policy.
Frederick: Tech Totalitarianism Threatens America

February 25, 2022

Former counterterrorism analyst for the Department of Defense, Kara Frederick, writing in The Federalist, warns of Big Tech increasing their control over Americans private lives including undermining First Amendment freedoms in silencing speech, suggesting that if this control continues to grow, America will soon find itself in a similar situation as Canada or China.