The tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump's administration will end up "harming the very people he hopes to help, not punishing China," according to a major Silicon Valley trade group, Politico reports. The Trump administration this week announced a 25 percent tariff on $50 billion worth of Chinese imports, the first of which will take effect in July and will focus on "industrially significant" technologies, including robotics and automobiles. However, U.S. tech companies hope they can change Trump's mind, as many of their products are manufactured in China, where labor costs are quite low, utilize components made in China, or hope to make gains in the Chinese market. "By imposing tariffs on consumer goods and key components of such goods, the president would needlessly take money out of Americans' pockets — harming the very people he hopes to help, not punishing China," Dean Garfield, head of the trade group Information Technology Industry Council, which counts Google, … [Read more...] about Silicon Valley: Trump Tariffs ‘Take Money out of Americans’ Pockets’
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NYT Magazine: ‘The Unlikely Activists Who Took On Silicon Valley – and Won’
The New York Times Magazine published a long-form article recently titled “The Unlikely Activists Who Took On Silicon Valley — and Won” discussing a group of privacy activists that successfully passed a California bill protecting user privacy from tech giants. The article published in the New York Times Magazine opens by discussing a man named Alastair Mactaggart, a bay area real estate mogul who had made much of his money thanks to the exorbitant rent prices in areas surrounding Silicon Valley tech companies. If anyone should have been happy about the presence and actions of tech firms it should have been Mactaggart, but instead, the real estate businessman became increasingly worried about the information that these tech companies were collecting on users.The article states: The way Alastair Mactaggart usually tells the story of his awakening — the way he told it even before he became the most improbable, and perhaps the most important, privacy … [Read more...] about NYT Magazine: ‘The Unlikely Activists Who Took On Silicon Valley – and Won’
The Technology 202: Silicon Valley isn’t waiting for Washington to address privacy, disinformation
Cat Zakrzewski, The Washington Post Published 6:43 am PDT, Thursday, March 28, 2019 SAN FRANCISCO - Executives from top tech companies and California's attorney general aren't waiting for Washington to take action on pressing tech policy issues. At the first Technology 202 Live event here in San Francisco, they described how companies themselves are making changes to their own platforms to address public pressure on privacy and curbing disinformation on their platforms - and how states are seeking to rein in the tech giants with new legislation. "When it comes to the federal government, they move a lot slower," said California state attorney general Xavier Becerra. Here are some highlights: 1. The next time a public official - perhaps even a president - tweets something that violates Twitter's standards, the message could be accompanied by a label that provides more context, Twitter's Vajaya Gadde told my colleague Elizabeth Dwoskin. Twitter is exploring how to annotate … [Read more...] about The Technology 202: Silicon Valley isn’t waiting for Washington to address privacy, disinformation
ACLU looks to Silicon Valley in managing funding surge
A massive influx of funding is a boon to any nonprofit. But it can come with challenges, as well, including: how to swiftly scale the organization to put that money to use; how to maximize the efficiency of every dollar; and how to plan more ambitiously and strategically than before. Shortly after raising more than $24 million in a single weekend—more than six times an entire year’s typical donations—the American Civil Liberties Union sought answers to those questions by enrolling in the Y Combinator startup accelerator. The Mountain View, California-based company’s accelerator program runs for three intensive months. Y Combinator is best known for launching startups such as Airbnb, Reddit and Uber. The ACLU is no startup, of course. It was founded in 1920. But there’s no question that support for and interest in the civil liberties nonprofit has surged since the election.“When we put the word out that we’d be including the ACLU in our winter … [Read more...] about ACLU looks to Silicon Valley in managing funding surge
Trump hosts Apple’s Cook at the White House to discuss trade
Tony Romm, The Washington Post Published 9:42 am, Wednesday, April 25, 2018 Photo: Washington Post Photo By Jabin Botsford Image 1of/1 CaptionClose Image 1 of 1 Apple CEO Tim Cook chats with guests Tuesday night at the White House state dinner for French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron. Apple CEO Tim Cook chats with guests Tuesday night at the White House state dinner for French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron. Photo: Washington Post Photo By Jabin Botsford Trump hosts Apple's Cook at the White House to discuss trade 1 / 1 Back to Gallery WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump will huddle Wednesday with Apple CEO Tim Cook as the White House forges ahead with tariffs on China and other trade policies that have provoked sharp rebukes from the iPhone giant and its tech … [Read more...] about Trump hosts Apple’s Cook at the White House to discuss trade