Biggest tech companies face US Bills on liability and competition

The biggest US tech companies would face new constraints under two Bills announced on Thursday after a month of revelations from a Facebook whistle-blower sparked fresh calls to rein in an industry that has largely escaped regulation so far.

 

A measure from Energy and Commerce Chair Frank Pallone and other leading House Democrats would revoke legal liability protections for platforms that use algorithms to spread harmful information, arguing that companies should be held responsible for how their technology disseminates content.

 

“Social media platforms like Facebook continue to actively amplify content that endangers our families, promotes conspiracy theories, and incites extremism to generate more clicks and ad dollars,” Pallone of New Jersey said. “Designing personalized algorithms that promote extremism, disinformation and harmful content is a conscious choice, and platforms should have to answer for it.”

 

The other Bill is an antitrust measure from a bipartisan group of senators that would prevent the biggest US tech giants like Amazon.com and Apple from giving an advantage to their own products over those of competitors.