Technology — GOP targets Meta's Threads

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View Online Technology Technology The Big Story  GOP targets Meta's Threads House Republicans asked Meta on Monday about content moderation on its new platform Threads, escalating the GOP's probe into how tech giants moderate content on their platforms.  © AP Photo/Patrick Semansky House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) asked Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, to send documents about Threads's content moderation practices to the committee by the end of July.   Jordan cited a subpoena sent to Meta in February, which he said now covers material related to Threads.    Threads launched earlier this month as an alternative to Twitter, the text-based platform now under control of Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.   Jordan wrote that the committee is "concerned about potential First Amendment violations that have occurred or will occur on the Threads platform."    Meanwhile, Democrats have blasted Republicans over their probes of tech platforms' content moderation practices and have noted that the First Amendment allows private companies to take action on content as they choose.    The GOP's latest request to Meta is an extension of the panel's investigation into tech platforms' content moderation policies and how the companies interact with the government, specifically the Biden administration.    Read more in a full report at TheHill.com.  Welcome to The Hill's Technology newsletter, we're Rebecca Klar and Ines Kagubare — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future: Musk says Twitter has lost nearly 50 percent of ad revenue, struggling with a 'heavy debt load'  The financial woes for Twitter appear to be continuing as owner Elon Musk announced the platform is experiencing a nearly 50 percent drop in advertising revenue as it struggles with heavy debt load.   "We're still negative cash flow, due to ~50% drop in advertising revenue plus heavy debt load. Need to reach positive cash flow before we have the luxury of anything else," Twitter owner Musk wrote in a tweet Saturday. …  Full Story Warren calls for investigation of Tesla in wake of Musk's Twitter takeover Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is calling for an investigation into Tesla and its potential conflicts of interest following CEO Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter last fall. In a letter to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler Monday, Warren said she is requesting an investigation into Tesla and the company's disclosures on how its board is “managing the apparent conflicts of its Chief …  Full Story Diller confirms plans for legal action over AI publishing   Media titan Barry Diller confirmed Sunday he and a group of "leading publishers" plan to take legal action regarding the use of published works in training artificial intelligence (AI) systems.   Diller, the chairman and senior executive of internet and media conglomerate IAC, said he thinks generative AI is "overhyped, as all revolutions that are in the very beginning," in an interview Sunday morning with CBS's Margaret Brennan …  Full Story The Refresh  News we've flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics: Tesla starts Cybertruck production Elon Musk's Tesla started production on its Cybertruck, with the first one being built at a factory in Austin, Texas, Mashable reported.  Tesla plans to expand auto factory in Germany The electric vehicle company plans to double the size of its manufacturing plant in Germany, which could produce up to 1 million electric cars per year, The Wall Street Journal reported. On Our Radar  Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: Elon Musk faces a Securities and Exchange Commission deadline of Friday to answer about his 2018 tweet about Tesla. Microsoft is set to announce its third-quarter earnings on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. ET. In Other News  Branch out with other reads on The Hill: Microsoft and UK regulators win more time to resolve blocked $69 billion Activision deal LONDON (AP) — Microsoft and British regulators won more time from a court Monday as the U.S. tech company uses a rare second chance to overcome opposition to its $69 billion bid for video game maker Activision Blizzard. Judge Marcus Smith conditionally approved a joint request from Microsoft and … Full Story Meta faces $100K daily fine from Norway regulator over privacy concerns in user advertising NEW YORK (AP) — Meta will face a hefty fine over advertising practices that violate user privacy, Norway’s data protection authority said Monday, unless the Facebook and Instagram owner takes action to comply with the law. Norwegian regulator Datatilsynet says that behavioral advertising — … Full Story What Others are Reading  Two key stories on The Hill right now: GOP senators rattled by radical conservative populism Republican senators say they're worried that conservative populism, though always a part of the GOP, is beginning to take over the party, becoming … Read more White House slams RFK Jr.'s COVID-19 comments as 'vile' The White House on Monday blasted comments made by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about COVID-19 as “vile” amid broader condemnation of the Democratic … Read more What Others are Reading  Opinions related to tech submitted to The Hill: Millions could lose internet access next year — we can't let that happen   You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Check out The Hill's Technology page for the latest coverage. Like this newsletter? Take a moment to view our other topical products here 📩 Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  1625 K Street NW, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20006 Copyright © 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

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