Internet freedom and other music to our ears
This week, our experts covered the FTC's merger review timeline, government control of the digital world, and a small bit of celebrity gossip.
Let’s face it. Here at TechFreedom, we’re a little bit wonkish. Usually, the content I send you every week involves in-depth discussions of pressing issues in tech policy and law. But occasionally, our scholars get the opportunity to comment on something… less technical. Case in point: This week, Ari took on the topic of Kanye West’s right to free speech.
Apparently, Kanye is not the biggest fan of comedian Pete Davidson dating his ex-wife — so much so that he released a music video that represents him decapitating the comic. While that imagery may be disturbing, Ari argues, it shouldn’t be outright banned, since “it’s for the better that the government is extremely limited in its ability to punish artistic expression even when it makes us uncomfortable.” To paraphrase another Kanye-related comment: Thank you Ari, very cool!
FTC. Last week, Andy appeared on the Heard Tell radio show with Andrew Donaldson to discuss his op-ed in RealClearMarkets, “The FTC's New, and Thoroughly Mindless Approach to Mergers.” Andy’s segment starts at 11:57. In the interview, Andy and Andrew discuss how the FTC used a blog post to “adjust” the agency’s procedure for reviewing mergers, warning companies to proceed with deals “at their own risk.” Andy analyzes the FTC’s extended probe into a deal between Uber and Drizly to highlight the pitfalls of the FTC’s new, open-ended timeline for reviewing mergers.
Decentralization. On a new Tech Policy Podcast, Ari, Corbin, and I examine the state of Internet freedom. The Internet, of course, can be a powerful tool for decentralization and resistance. Lately, however, authorities from across the political spectrum have been trying to use it to enforce conformity and exert control. Cases in point: the Canadian government’s freezing of protestors’ bank accounts, U.S. Senators’ attacks on end-to-end encryption, and Texas AG Ken Paxton’s retaliatory “investigation” of Twitter for expelling Donald Trump. How worried should we be about these government efforts? The three of us discuss!