This week, Facebook announced that the company “will restrict publishers and people in Australia from sharing or viewing Australian and international news content” in response to Australia’s “Media Bargaining law,” which would require Big Tech to pay publishers for linking to news content. There is no doubt that civic journalism faces a global crisis, but Public Knowledge contends that imposing public interest obligations, like an Internet Superfund, on dominant platforms is a better way to support local journalism for our communities as opposed to blocking users sharing news online or encouraging Big Tech and Big Media to strike deals that benefit themselves — both are predictable outcomes of this flawed legislation.

France and Australia have moved forward with plans to force Google (and, in Australia, also Facebook) to pay existing media companies for linking to news content. In theory, the laws adopted in France and Australia are designed to compensate these news organizations for the benefit Google and Facebook derive from linking to news. But both […]

Last week, President Trump used social media to encourage his supporters to storm the Capitol to attempt to maintain his power. In the wake of this violent insurrection against the certification of our election, the President and some of his supporters are claiming that the First Amendment rights of the President have been violated because […]

Today, the Federal Trade Commission and 48 state attorneys general filed antitrust lawsuits against Facebook. The suits focus on how Facebook has bought out competitors and potential competitors to stifle competition, as well as how Facebook has withheld access to its network anticompetitively. The suits follow three years of Public Knowledge advocacy on the competition challenges posed by dominant digital platforms like Facebook, including most recently our letters urging the FTC, Department of Justice, and state attorneys general to review Facebook’s conduct for anticompetitive behavior.

Today, Public Knowledge sent letters urging the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice, House Judiciary, and state attorneys general to evaluate whether Facebook’s past acquisitions and what appear to be anti-competitive practices violate antitrust law.

Today, Public Knowledge announces that it will not accept funding from Facebook for any of the organization’s programs or initiatives. The decision follows a June 1 meeting between Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg and civil rights leaders to discuss the company’s choice to leave up without moderation comments made by President Trump, including one in which he posted, “when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” in reference to protests over George Floyd’s death. Twitter, meanwhile, labeled the content with a disclaimer that it “glorified violence.”

Today, 50 states and territories announced they are opening an antitrust investigation into Google and its parent company, Alphabet. Alphabet also confirmed last week that it is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice. Eight states and DC also announced last week that they are beginning an antitrust investigation into Facebook as well.

Today, Facebook confirmed during its Q2 earnings call and in its quarterly report that the Federal Trade Commission notified the company in June that the agency has opened an antitrust investigation into Facebook. An FTC investigation means there is particular conduct by the company that the agency is interested in, and that the agency is examining that conduct to determine if it violates antitrust law.

Today, the Federal Trade Commission released details of its $5 billion settlement with Facebook over the company’s repeated violations of a 2012 consent decree, which includes privacy violations such as the Cambridge Analytica incident.

Reports indicate that the Federal Trade Commission recently voted 3-2 along party lines to approve a roughly $5 billion settlement with Facebook over the company’s repeated privacy violations, including the Cambridge Analytica incident. The FTC is expected to unveil the terms of the fine — including possible conditions — once the Department of Justice has finalized the settlement.