Accountable Tech

After cozying up to Trump, the Big Tech oligarchy is starting to call in favors. Mark Zuckerberg is asking the administration to push back against a European law that would allow consumers to reject Meta’s surveillance advertising, hurting the platform’s profit. https://lnkd.in/gNUVrtii

Under the Biden administration last year, the Justice Department asked Judge Mehta in a preliminary filing to force Google to sell its popular web browser, Chrome, among other remedies. The department’s lawyers on Friday reiterated that demand, which could break up Google and reshape internet competition. https://lnkd.in/g7GZzQWp

Big Tech’s surveillance powers could fuel Trump’s extremist agenda—criminalizing abortion, deporting millions, and attacking LGBTQ+ rights. States must act NOW to protect our privacy and safety. https://lnkd.in/g6epKBmT

First, Google Maps quietly renamed the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America—a change they claim was in line with their policies. Now, users of Google’s consumer products are noticing updates to everyday tools like Maps, Calendar, and Search that seem to reflect shifts in the political landscape. Most recently, Google removed cultural observances like Black History Month, Women’s History Month, and Pride Month from its official calendars, citing an overabundance of holidays to track. But these decisions don’t just reorganize information—they shape what people see, remember, and prioritize. https://lnkd.in/gmkzVrPs

ICE is updating old news reports about raids to make them seem like they’re happening in real time. Thousands of press releases about decade-old enforcement actions topped search results and are updated with a timestamp from after Trump’s inauguration This spread of misinformation from a government agency is an alarming attempt to stoke fear in immigrant communities. https://lnkd.in/dM5Y5kTb

Big Tech's growing alliance with the incoming administration threatens our privacy, freedom, and democracy. Our Co-founder and Executive Director Nicole Gill breaks it down in Tech Policy Press: "Despite installing some pro-democracy window dressing in recent years, tech companies have steadily and systematically captured our means of communication and surrendered them to the MAGA universe. In the US, the question now is whether Democrats and others who oppose MAGA politics will recognize the alliance between the far right and Big Tech – and take steps to rein in this dangerous turn toward extremism before we lose our democracy altogether." https://lnkd.in/exGZQY_9

Four years ago, Facebook banned Donald Trump for inciting a violent insurrection. As our Co-founder and Executive Director Nicole Gill puts it: “Now, Zuckerberg is reopening the floodgates to the exact same surge of hate, disinformation, and conspiracy theories that caused January 6th — and that continue to spur real-world violence.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/eHMZas_h

Donald Trump spent his first term attacking Big Tech platforms and their CEOs for allegedly censoring conservative speech. But recently, these CEOs realized they'd benefit from Trump's deregulatory agenda. They quickly capitulated, lining up to kiss his ring when the results were called and donating millions to his inaugural fund. More broadly, Mark Zuckerberg has openly pivoted to the incoming Trump administration by cutting fact-checking programs, naming Republican operative Joel Kaplan to lead Meta's global policy team, ending DEI programs, and appearing on Joe Rogan's podcast, where he blasted the Biden administration for encouraging Meta to remove posts with anti-vaccine disinformation. Our Co-founder and Executive Director Nicole Gill hits the nail right on the head. "These companies have flourished because of a lack of regulation, and these leaders are now making choices that can insulate them down the road." Zuckerberg is like a school bully who's “willing to do whatever he thinks it will take to stay afloat. https://lnkd.in/ehvKpE5C

Big Tech companies are eroding our consensus reality and pushing democracy to the brink. We’re on social media platforms to meet users where they’re at – but we also have an email newsletter to share all the breaking news on all things Big Tech. Sign up today: https://lnkd.in/eJbSmaPU

Our Co-founder and Executive Director Nicole Gill spoke to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation about Meta's new plan to roll back content moderation features, which will be a gift to the incoming Trump administration: https://lnkd.in/e7zH8aqT