Managing director @fgs_global. Former tech editor/reporter @axios, @politico, @blaw, et al. Movie liker.
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Articles by Kyle Daly
Trump's unfinished assault on Chinese tech like TikTok and Huawei leaves loose ends for Biden
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How to deprogram America's extremists
It will take an all-out national effort to dismantle the radicalization pipeline that has planted conspiracy theories in the heads of millions of Americans and inspired last month's attack on the Capitol, experts tell Axios. Two key measures that could make a difference: Keeping extremists out of the institutions where they could do the greatest damage — like the military, police departments and legislatures. Providing help for those who have embraced dangerous ideologies.
How Reddit explains the GameStop saga
Retail investors’ battle against short sellers who had bet against GameStop and AMC— and other heavily shorted stocks with depressed share prices — offers a window into what happens when Reddit culture spills out into the real world. The big picture: Reddit is a microcosm of mainstream internet culture, a massive clearinghouse for all sorts of interests that's populated mostly by young men with a vaguely anti-establishment bent.
QAnon faces the music
Supporters of former President Donald Trump who thought he was about to stop the inauguration, seize power and crush his enemies were left blinking in the sunlight Wednesday as President Biden took the oath of office. Why it matters: It's an inflection point for anyone who realizes they've been strung along by QAnon and related strands of pro-Trump magical thinking. They could either retreat from conspiracy theories or tumble deeper down the rabbit hole.
Why it's harder for the far right to organize underground
Researchers see one bright spot as far-right extremists turn to private and encrypted online platforms: Friction. Between the lines: For fringe organizers, those platforms may provide more security than open social networks, but they make it harder to recruit new members.
Fringe right plots new attacks out of sight
Domestic extremists are using obscure and private corners of the internet to plot new attacks ahead of Inauguration Day. Their plans are also hidden in plain sight, buried in podcasts and online video platforms. Why it matters: Because law enforcement was caught flat-footed during last week's Capitol siege, researchers and intelligence agencies are paying more attention to online threats that could turn into real-world violence. Screenshots of digital fliers for fringe-right rallies.
Amazon and Apple pull the plug on Parler
Amazon has told Parler, a social media app that's become popular among conservatives and far-right extremists, that it would be cut off from its Amazon Web Services hosting by midnight Pacific Time on Sunday, BuzzFeed first reported and Amazon confirmed to Axios. Driving the news: Earlier Saturday, Apple said it had suspended Parler from its App Store. Both companies cited concerns over threats of violence and inadequate content moderation on the service.
The far right's circus of memes
So much of Wednesday's assault on the Capitol looked readymade for memes because, for many of today's far-right digital natives, that is the point. The outlandishly costumed rioters — among them, shirtless, horned "Q Shaman" Jake Angeli and fur-clad Brooklynite Aaron Mostofsky — had no wish to fade into the crowd.
How the QAnon conspiracy theory drove the Trump Capitol riot
Wednesday's assault on the U.S. Capitol was an appalling shock to most Americans, but to far-right true believers it was the culmination of a long-unfolding epic. The big picture: A growing segment of the American far right, radicalized via social media and private online groups, views anyone who bucks President Trump's will as evil. That includes Democrats, the media, celebrities, judges and officeholders — even conservatives, should they cross the president.
Ranking the 5 big suits against Google and Facebook
Facebook stands to lose the most, but Google is more likely to lose: That's the consensus of experts Axios asked to rank the threats the two tech giants face as five separate major antitrust lawsuits bear down on them. Why it matters: A loss for Facebook or Google in any of the cases could force deep changes in how Silicon Valley does business — and even lead to a court-ordered breakup. Here's your crib sheet for the cases. DOJ vs.
Tech companies aren't sharing data that would help track the fight against misinformation
Data: NewsWhip; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios Facebook and other big online platforms insist they're removing more and more misinformation. But they can't say whether they're actually stemming the tide of lies, and neither can we, because the deluge turns out to be impossible to define or measure. Why it matters: The tech companies mostly won't share data that would let researchers better track the scale, spread and impact of misinformation.
The search for misinformation's measure
Facebook and other big online platforms insist they're removing more and more misinformation. But they can't say whether they're actually stemming the tide of lies, and neither can we, because the deluge turns out to be impossible to define or measure. Why it matters: The tech companies mostly won't share data that would let researchers better track the scale, spread and impact of misinformation. So the riddle remains unsolved, and the platforms can't be held accountable.
Facebook's pre-election restrictions didn't dent political ad reach
Americans saw more political ads on Facebook in the week before the 2020 election than they did the prior week despite the company's blackout on new political ads during that period, according to Global Witness, a human rights group that espouses tech regulation. Why it matters: The presidential election was a key stress test for Facebook and other leading online platforms looking to prove that they can curb misinformation. Critics contend measures like the new-ad blackout barely made a dent.
Exclusive: Facebook's blackout didn't dent political ad reach
Americans saw more political ads on Facebook in the week before the 2020 election than they did the prior week despite the company's blackout on new political ads during that period, according to Global Witness, a human rights group that espouses tech regulation. Why it matters: The presidential election was a key stress test for Facebook and other leading online platforms looking to prove that they can curb misinformation. Critics contend measures like the ad blackout barely made a dent.
Biden has opportunities for quick action and concrete progress on tech issues
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Election reality fails to pop GOP's online filter bubble
The Trump administration's fight to question the election's outcome is providing a massive field test of the effectiveness of online echo chambers and filter bubbles. The state of play: So far, the evidence from the Trump universe shows partisan delusion winning out over objective reality. By the numbers: Some 70% of Republicans now believe the election was not free and fair, according to a Politico/Morning Consult poll out Tuesday. That belief may be fast on its way to becoming GOP orthodoxy.
European Union hits Amazon with antitrust charges
EU regulators have filed antitrust charges against Amazon, claiming the company is acting anti-competitively when it uses data from sellers on its marketplace to develop its own products. Why it matters: Europe could seek billions of dollars in fines from Amazon, and regulators' findings could inform the work of U.S. antitrust enforcers. The Federal Trade Commission reportedly started looking into Amazon's treatment of third-party sellers last year.
Biden's win gives tech industry the chance for a Washington reset
Joe Biden's transformation into president-elect Saturday kicks off a new era for tech, giving an industry that's found itself increasingly at odds with government the chance for a reset. The big picture: Biden's ascent could see the restoration of some tech-friendly Obama-era policies but is unlikely to end the bipartisan techlash that grew during Trump's term. Here's what tech has to look forward to. Tech's issues: D.C'sspotlight will brighten on privacy, surveillance and hate speech online.
Tech platforms' labeling strategy is winning the misinformation battle, not the war
Although tech platforms have made good on promises to check false election claims from political figures — up to and including the president — those efforts haven't turned the tide in the broader war on misinformation. Between the lines: Dedicated spreaders of misinformation are finding ways around platforms' rules.
U.S. vs. Google - the siege begins
The Justice Department fired the starter pistol on what's likely to be a years-long legal siege of Big Tech by the U.S. government when it filed a major antitrust suit Tuesday against Google. The big picture: Once a generation, it seems, federal regulators decide to take on a dominant tech company. Two decades ago, Microsoft was the target; two decades before that, IBM. Yes, but: Today's fight takes place on a very different landscape.
Justice Department sues Google over alleged search monopoly
The Justice Department and 11 states Tuesday filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google, accusing the company of using anticompetitive tactics to illegally monopolize the online search and search advertising markets. Why it matters: The long-awaited suit is Washington's first major blow against the tech giants that many on both the right and left argue have grown too large and powerful. Still, this is just step one in what could be a lengthy and messy court battle.
House Judiciary's tech antitrust report urges sweeping legal changes
The House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday laid out Democrats' vision of a U.S. antitrust policy built to rein in Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook and other giant tech firms. Why it matters: The long-awaited staff report on antitrust and Big Tech, which sprawls over 449 pages, outlines legislative and enforcement fixes that Democrats could enact should they hold the White House and both houses of Congress after November.
Instagram head on TikTok ban: "Damage might have already been done"
Adam Mosseri, the Head of Instagram, told Axios in an interview Monday that President Trump's efforts to ban TikTok may have already dealt irreversible damage to the digital world. Driving the news: "The damage might have already been done in terms of normalizing this type of policy," Mosseri said. He and others have previously cautioned that nations targeting individual apps could chill innovation and free expression and encourage authoritarian governments to further extend their reach online.
The array of far-right groups "standing by" after Trump's call
President Trump's refusal to condemn white nationalists during Tuesday night's debate drew a lot of attention — including from the Proud Boys, the far-right group he asked to "stand down and stand by." Why it matters: The Proud Boys remain relatively small — a Portland rally this past weekend billed as the group's largest-ever gathering drew just a few hundred people.
Why Puerto Ricans are still struggling to get online
Internet connectivity remains a weak link for the disaster-wracked U.S. territory Puerto Rico, and some experts fear a new tranche of Federal Communications Commission subsidies set aside just for the island might not help the people most in need of a broadband connection. Why it matters: Puerto Rico is locked out of most federal funding available to U.S. states to help expand internet service.
Oracle's proposed TikTok deal isn't the straightforward acquisition that Microsoft pitched
There's now a deal on the table to let TikTok continue operating in the U.S. with the backing of a major American tech firm, potentially staving off President Trump's plan to ban the popular Chinese-owned video app by mid-month. Yes, but: Software giant Oracle's proposed deal isn't the straightforward acquisition that Microsoft had jockeyed for until falling out of the running this weekend, and the whole affair is still rife with unknowns.
Let The Wire’s Clay Davis teach you how to say “sheeeeeeeeeit”
According to a recent Reddit AMA, actor Michael K. Williams can’t whistle; every time his character Omar Little whistled “The Farmer In The Dell” on The Wire to send the message that Omar comin’, it was actually dubbed in by John Waters’ personal assistant. But as for corrupt state senator Clay Davis, a new video makes it abundantly clear that every single “sheeeeeeeeeit” out of his lips was the real thing.
Tech's deepening split over ads and privacy
A new fight between Facebook and Apple over the mechanics of ad tech is surfacing an industry divide over user privacy and spotlighting longstanding dilemmas about the tracking and use of personal information online. Why it matters: Privacy advocates have been sounding alarms for years about tech firms' expansive, sometimes inescapable data harvesting without making much headway in the U.S. But the game could change if major industry players start taking opposite sides.
Tech's deepening split over ads and privacy
A new fight between Facebook and Apple over the mechanics of ad tech is surfacing an industry divide over user privacy and spotlighting longstanding dilemmas about the tracking and use of personal information online. Why it matters: Privacy advocates have been sounding alarms for years about tech firms' expansive, sometimes inescapable data harvesting without making much headway in the U.S. But the game could change if major industry players start taking opposite sides.
How Trump's favorite tech company could win TikTok
Oracle is a rare creature: a tech giant that's managed to remain fully in President Trump's good graces. Now, that position could help it end up acquiring TikTok over Microsoft. Between the lines: Typically, a company's relationship with the president would have little bearing on who prevails in competing M&A bids. But these are atypical times.
Trump's TikTok and WeChat actions ratchet up the pressure on China
President Trump escalated his campaign to claw apart the Chinese and American tech worlds Thursday evening, issuing executive orders that threaten to ban both TikTok and massive global messaging app WeChat. The big picture: Trump's orders come against a backdrop of heightening tension with China, the steady unfolding of a hard "decoupling" between the world's two largest economies, and the Trump campaign's effort to wave a "tough on China" banner.
China vows to retaliate against the U.S. if it takes action against journalists
Pew Research Center Jul 30, 2020 Americans Who Mainly Get Their News on Social Media Are Less Engaged, Less Knowledgeable Pew Research Center Jun 29, 2020 Three Months In, Many Americans See Exaggeration, Conspiracy Theories and Partisanship in COVID-19 News Pew Research Center Jun 24, 2020 As COVID-19 Emerged in U.S., Facebook Posts About It Appeared in a Wide Range of Public Pages, Groups Pew Research Center Jun 12, 2020 Majorities of Americans Say News Coverage of George Floyd Protests Has...
What a President Biden would mean for tech
A Biden presidency would put the tech industry on stabler ground than it's had with President Trump. Although Biden is unlikely to rein in those Democrats who are itching to regulate the big platforms, he'll almost certainly have other, bigger priorities. The big picture: Liberal Silicon Valley remains one of Democrats' most reliable sources for big-money donations. But a Biden win offers no guarantee that tech will be able to renew the cozy relationship it had with the Obama White House.
House throws kitchen sink at tech CEOs
House lawmakers aired an enormous array of grievances with the CEOs of Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple Wednesday, throwing everything in their arsenal at four of the most powerful men in the world for six hours. Quick take: The antitrust hearing didn't nail a case that these companies are harmful monopolies.
4 numbers that show the combined power of Facebook, Google, Apple and Amazon
The four Big Tech CEOs who will testify before Congress Wednesday command global empires with power and wealth that make them more like countries than companies. By the numbers: Here are four very large stats for Facebook, Apple, Google/Alphabet and Amazon that tell the story of their value, scale and influence. $5 trillion: The four companies' (rough) combined market capitalization. That number changes by the day, of course.
Tech CEOs hone messages for antitrust testimony before Congress
The big four tech CEOs testifying at Monday's antitrust hearing will each offer up a key point to defend their firms and deflect lawmakers' wrath. Why it matters: No corporate leader wants to see their industry heavily regulated or their company broken up. Monday's hearing gives Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook, Jeff Bezos and Sundar Pichai a big platform to try to prevent that from happening. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg: Congress should pass better laws.
Chatham Asset Management to take over McClatchy
Pew Research Center Jun 29, 2020 Three Months In, Many Americans See Exaggeration, Conspiracy Theories and Partisanship in COVID-19 News Pew Research Center Jun 24, 2020 As COVID-19 Emerged in U.S., Facebook Posts About It Appeared in a Wide Range of Public Pages, Groups Pew Research Center Jun 12, 2020 Majorities of Americans Say News Coverage of George Floyd Protests Has Been Good, Trump’s Public Message Wrong Pew Research Center May 20, 2020 Americans Who Rely Most on White House for...
Facebook's plan: Make nice, but don't give in
Facebook last week took steadily intensifying heat from fleeing advertisers and boycott leaders and received a big thumbs-down from its own civil-rights auditors. Its response, essentially: We hear you, but we'll carry on. The big picture: Early on in Facebook's rise, CEO Mark Zuckerberg learned to handle external challenges by offering limited concessions and soothing words, then charging forward without making fundamental changes.
Twitter flags Trump tweet for violating rules on abusive behavior
Twitter on Monday opted not to take down or flag a tweet from President Trump that baselessly tied mail-in ballots to voter fraud and foreign election interference. On Tuesday, meanwhile, the platform flagged a Trump tweet threatening "serious force" against protesters seeking to set up an "autonomous zone" in Washington for violating its rules on abusive behavior.
Trump's plan to treat antifa as terrorists opens door to high-tech surveillance
President Trump's call to treat antifa supporters like terrorists could be a green light for high-tech surveillance of dissidents. Why it matters: It's unlikely the Trump administration can designate antifa as a terrorist group in any legally meaningful way, but the declaration gives law enforcement tacit approval to use a plethora of tech tools to monitor protesters and left-leaning activists.
Trump's plan to treat antifa as terrorists opens door to high-tech surveillance
President Trump's call to treat antifa supporters like terrorists could be a green light for high-tech surveillance of dissidents. Why it matters: It's unlikely the Trump administration can designate antifa as a terrorist group in any legally meaningful way, but the declaration gives law enforcement tacit approval to use a plethora of tech tools to monitor protesters and left-leaning activists.
How Big Tech has responded to the protests
An explosive weekend in America sent Silicon Valley grasping for moral clarity. While many companies and executives spoke out against racial inequities, critics and even some of the rank-and-file found some of the companies' responses lacking. Why it matters: Tech companies have giant platforms, and their leaders have become public figures, many of them household names.
Unemployment's outdated tech is hurting jobless Americans
The sudden wave of tens of millions of unemployment claims has overwhelmed state agencies hobbled by outdated tech and understaffed offices. Why it matters: The federal coronavirus aid package expanded unemployment benefits for laid-off workers as the pandemic roiled the labor market, but an unprepared system has boxed out people in need — and artificially depressed the unemployment count, economists say.
The U.S. rift with China has tech on edge
As Google, Facebook, Apple, Amazon and Microsoft all report their first set of post-pandemic earnings this week, the industry will get a clearer fix on just how much pain the falling-out between the U.S. and China will inflict. The big picture: For decades, tech's leaders have bet big on China as a manufacturing hub, supply chain provider and, increasingly, a lucrative market — but trade frictions, national-security tensions and now coronavirus blame games are imperiling that partnership.
Coronavirus misinformation seeds ground for digital scams
Fear of the coronavirus and misinformation about the pandemic have created a pool of targets for online scammers. The big picture: Misinformation around COVID-19 is rampant online, from phony cures to outlandish claims that 5G wireless signals cause the illness. Cybersecurity analysts are also seeing an explosion in phishing and other digital cons that base their scams on these popular coronavirus myths.
Discord over 5G policy is a recurring theme for Trump White House
The Trump administration, eager to win the 5G race and outflank China's Huawei, has run one plan after another up the flagpole — but found it hard to keep any of them flying. Driving the news: White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow aired a new approach Tuesday to speed the emergence of U.S.-led alternatives to Huawei.
Twitter sets high bar for taking down deepfakes
Twitter on Tuesday announced a new policy aimed at discouraging the spread of deepfakes and other manipulated media, but the service will only ban content that threatens people's safety, rights or privacy. Why it matters: Tech platforms are under pressure to stanch the flow of political misinformation, including faked videos and imagery.
Alphabet lifts the hood on YouTube financials
Disclosing YouTube revenue separately for the first time, Alphabet said Monday that the Google-owned video site accounted for more than 10% of the company's $46.1 billion in revenue last quarter, and more than $15 billion for the year. Why it matters: Everyone knew YouTube was a big business, but until now, we didn't know exactly how big.
How tech giants are ducking California's new laws
• California's Assembly Bill 5 (AB5) codifies a 2018 California Supreme Court ruling making it harder for companies to treat their workers as independent contractors rather than employees. • The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) lets state residents find out what data certain companies have collected about them and even ask for it to be deleted. • Both took effect with the new year.
Facebook lays out policy banning census misinformation
Facebook on Thursday said it's banning posts and ads that discourage people from taking part in the 2020 Census or mislead them about how to do it, a move the company promised was in the works earlier this year. Why it matters: Advocacy groups have long warned that misinformation can be used to depress census participation, skewing results and leading to under-representation for immigrants, people of color and other marginalized groups when the census is later used to draw political districts.
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