Washington Post Live is hosting a discussion about tech regulation with European Commission Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager on Monday. Why it’s worth watching: Vestager is the European Union’s top antitrust enforcer, and where the E.U. decides to take action against major tech companies, the United States tends to follow (or vice versa). The discussion comes after another week of tech-related antitrust efforts in the United States, including a new lawsuit involving 36 states against Google’s Play store practices and President Joe Biden’s signing of an executive order calling on federal agencies to review how they can be more stringent when it comes to tech company mergers.
The Federal Communications Commission is holding its monthly open meeting Tuesday. Why it’s worth watching: Some of the topics on the FCC’s agenda include securing communications networks, updating technical rules for radio broadcasters and considering efforts to address contraband wireless devices in correctional facilities.
R Street Institute is hosting a virtual event titled “Free Speech, Public Policy and the Technology Industry” on Wednesday. Why it’s worth watching: Many lawmakers and consumers, especially on the right, have accused tech platforms of censoring posts or users that contradict the businesses’ ideology. One side of the argument claims these tech companies are trouncing their users’ First Amendment rights to free speech by deleting posts or banning them, while the other camp argues these companies are private businesses and therefore can choose whom they keep on their platforms. The debate reached a new level last week after former President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit against the chief executive officers of Facebook Inc., Twitter Inc. and Google, in an effort to have his accounts reinstated and the companies fined for their actions. And on June 30, a federal judge postponed the implementation of a law in Florida that would have given the state the authority to penalize social media companies that ban political candidates, ruling that the law likely violates these companies’ First Amendment rights. The debate over free speech and its relationship with tech companies has gone from being a buzzy topic in discussions among lawmakers and TV personalities to spilling over into the courts and legislatures. And with a former president now weighing in on the discussion, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see more cases like this pop up in the near future.
