Antitrust

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I’m unable to resist pointing out the profound bias built into everything Silicon Valley does these days. Google, it turns out, is planning to tell enterprise users of its word processor that words like “motherboard” and “landlord” are insufficiently inclusive for use in polite company. We won’t actually be forbidden to use those words.…

Another week, another industry-shaking antitrust bill from Senate Judiciary:  This time, it’s the Open App Store Act, and Mark MacCarthy reports that it’s got more bipartisan support than the last one. Maybe that’s because there are only two losers, and only one big loser: Apple. The bill would force an end to Apple’s…

That’s the question I had after reading Law and Policy for the Quantum Age, by Chris Hoofnagle and Simson Garfinkel. It’s a gracefully written and deeply informative look at the commercial and policy prospects of quantum computing and several other (often more promising) quantum technologies, including sensing, communications, and networking. And it left me…

Just one week of antitrust litigation news shows how much turbulence Facebook and Google are encountering. Michael Weiner gives us a remarkably compact summary of the many issues, from deeply historical (Facebook’s purchase of Instagram) to cutting edge tech (complaints about Oculus self-preferencing). In all, he brings us current on two state AG…

Two major Senate committees have reached agreement on a cyber incident reporting mandate. And it looks like the big winner are the business lobbyists who got concessions from both committees. At least that’s my take. Dmitri Alperovitch says the bill may still be in trouble because of Justice Department opposition. And Tatyana Bolton…

Jordan Schneider rejoins us after too long an absence to summarize the tech policy coming out of Beijing today: Any Chinese government agency with a beef against a tech company has carte blanche to at least try it out. From Didi and others being told to stop taking on subscribers to an end to…

The district court has ruled in the lawsuit between Epic and Apple over access to the Apple app store. Apple is claiming victory and Epic is appealing. But Apple’s victory is not complete, and may have a worm at its core. Jamil Jaffer explains.

Surprised that ransomware gangs REvil and Groove are back –…

We begin the episode with the Biden administration’s options for responding to continued Russian ransomware outrages. Dmitri Alperovitch reprises his advice in the Washington Post that Putin will only respond to strength and U.S. pressure. I agree but raise the question whether the U.S. has the tools to enforce another set of alleged red…

This episode offers an economical overview of the six antitrust reform bills reported out of the House Judiciary Committee last week. Michael Weiner and Mark MacCarthy give us the top line for all six (though only four would make substantial new policy). We then turn quickly to the odd-couple alliances supporting and opposing the…

We don’t get far into my interview with the authors of a widely publicized Ransomware Task Force report, before I object that most of its recommendations are “boring” procedural steps that don’t directly address the ransomware scourge. That prompts a vigorous dialogue with Philip Reiner, the Executive Director of the Institute for Security and…