Karl Herchenroeder

Technology stakeholders will take on Google and other major tech companies at a Tuesday hearing, according to written testimony we got in advance. Google’s self-serving search results give consumers objectively lower quality information, especially in the local search market, Yelp Senior Vice President-Public Policy Luther Lowe plans to tell the Senate Antitrust Subcommittee Tuesday (see 2003020068). Google defended itself.

Congress should do its job and legislate privacy, Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., told reporters Thursday, in response to a question about remarks from Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Senate Majority Whip John Thune, R-S.D. The Republicans said Wednesday there’s currently no path forward for privacy talks (see 2003040052).

Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., introduced long-anticipated legislation Thursday (see 2002070052) that would alter Section 230, exposing online platforms to civil liability for violating child sexual abuse material-related laws. The Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act (Earn It Act) was introduced with Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. Additional sponsors are Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.; Doug Jones, D-Ala.; Joni Ernst, R-Iowa; Bob Casey, D-Pa., Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.; and Dick Durbin, D-Ill.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer should leave Section 230-like protections out of future trade deals, House Consumer Protection Subcommittee Chair Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., said during a hearing Wednesday. She wrote a letter to Lighthizer last week, joining House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and ranking member Greg Walden, R-Ore., with the same request (see 1908060064).

Senate Crime and Terrorism Subcommittee Chairman Josh Hawley, R-Mo., introduced legislation Wednesday that would ban the use of TikTok by all federal employees on government devices. “Do we really want Beijing having the geolocation data of all federal employees, having their keystrokes?” he asked reporters after a subcommittee hearing.

Millions of small businesses are faced with overwhelming and unfair tax compliance burdens because of the Supreme Court’s Wayfair decision (see 1807240040), said House Small Business Subcommittee Chairman Andy Kim, D-N.J. Ranking Republican Kevin Hern, Oklahoma, cited impacts on small-business owners in his state, during Tuesday’s hearing. Halstead Bead Finance Director Brad Scott said his Arizona company has spent $183,000 and more than 3,800 hours to collect less than $80,000 in sales tax. FindTape.com is registered in 30 states, which costs $600 monthly, testified President Kevin Mahoney. The bigger issue is the time it takes to reconcile the filings, typically about one or two days a month, he said. About half the states have followed South Dakota’s threshold of “more than $100,000 in sales or at least 200 separate transactions to the in-state market, while the other half adopted different thresholds,” said Grant Thornton Principal Jamie Yesnowitz, for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. South Dakota helped spark the court case. A lack of uniformity impairs business growth, said Yesnowitz. It has taken a year to comply and register and $75,000, said K-Log Vice President Linda Lester. Witnesses sought a uniform national standard.

Privacy advocates differed in interviews Monday if the FCC’s $208 million in proposed fines against the four national carriers for failing to safeguard data (see 2002280065) was adequate, given the consumer impact and how its calculated. Friday, Commissioner Geoffrey Starks questioned whether the agency failed to properly calculate consumer harm in reaching the fine amount. Commissioner Mike O’Rielly suggested the agency should have considered more information from the companies.

Washington state’s House Innovation, Technology and Economic Development Committee advanced Senate-passed SB-6281 6-3 Friday (see 2002270065). An amendment establishing a private right of action passed. One that would remove a controversial facial recognition section failed.

The Trump administration isn’t serious about maintaining a lead in science and technology, said House Science Committee Chair Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, Thursday. The administration claimed its 2021 federal research and development budget proposal is a 6 percent increase for R&D, Johnson said during a hearing, but said the proposal is actually a 6 percent increase over last year’s proposal, which Congress rejected before appropriating increases for R&D. “So in truth, this Fiscal Year 2021 budget proposal represents a 9 percent cut to R&D funding,” she said. Ranking member Frank Lucas, R-Okla., disagreed, saying the 2021 budget request includes “bold proposals” for ensuring American leadership in artificial intelligence and quantum computing. He cited a doubling of funding for AI and quantum R&D over the next two years. He said Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Kelvin Droegemeier agrees American superiority in science and technology is fundamental to economic competitiveness and national security. Droegemeier testified that R&D investment was about $580 billion in 2018 and is over $600 billion today. That’s important because AI and quantum intersect with every sector of technology, he said, also citing the doubling of R&D investment by 2022.

NSA’s call detail records (CDR) program cost more than $100 million between 2015 and early 2019, and led to only one foreign intelligence investigation, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board reported Thursday. Later that day, the House Judiciary Committee postponed a markup on legislation that would end the USA Freedom Act Section 215 CDR program (see 2002250065).