Big Tech’s critics work to strike back in White House
Officials say 90% of the redevelopment work has already been done, ‘finishing touches’ being given and stone work going on near Town Hall
WASHINGTON: Congressional Democrats in the United States have begun discussions with the White House on ways to crack down on Big Tech including making social media companies accountable for the spread of disinformation on matters such as the US Capitol riot and addressing the abuse of market power to harm corporate rivals.
The conversations, described by a lawmaker and congressional aides, have included the contentious topic of what to do with a measure called Section 230, part of a 1996 law called the Communications Decency Act, that shields social media platforms from lawsuits over much of the content posted by users.
President Joe Biden as a candidate last year called for revoking Section 230, and his Republican predecessor Donald Trump unsuccessfully pressed Congress to repeal it.
Many lawmakers in recent years have called for laws and regulations to rein in dominant tech companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Alphabet’s Google, Amazon and Apple. Democratic lawmakers also have expressed alarm over social media’s role in the lead-up to a pro-trump mob’s January 6 attack on the US Capitol.
The conversations between lawmakers and Biden aides represent the first sign that the White House has begun actively getting involved in considering how to take on Big Tech.
Democratic Representative Tom Malinowski, a member of the House committee on homeland security, said he has begun conversations with the White House on how to hold large social media platforms accountable for amplifying radicalising content that triggers violence.
Malinowski said he discussed legislation he sponsored last year that would hold these companies legally liable if they promote content, using algorithms designed to increase readership, that leads to violence. “This is a priority for me, and we have had preliminary conversations with the White House on a path forward,” Malinowski said.
The legislation would amend but not revoke Section 230.
Several congressional aides, speaking on condition of anonymity, said members of Biden’s team are listening to concerns by lawmakers on Big Tech, and participating in conversations about potential future action. The White House declined comment on these discussions.
Democratic Representative David Cicilline, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee’s antitrust subcommittee, has raised with the White House the topic of more stringent antitrust enforcement against Big Tech, a source familiar with the matter said. A Cicilline spokesman declined comment.
Based on Cicilline’s previous public comments, that could mean he actively pursues legislation based on recommendations from his subcommittee’s 400page October report into the state of competition in the digital economy. Some antitrust experts said this also could mean broadening the US Justice Department’s October lawsuit that accused Google of misusing its market power to crush rivals.
Addressing Section 230
Aides to Democratic Senator Ron Wyden, a co-author of Section 230, have spoken to the White House about reforming the provision, a Wyden aide said. Those talks, the aide added, were aimed at a “deliberate approach to reforming the law” rather than repealing it. “We have conveyed Senator Wyden’s view that it would be tremendously harmful to repeal or change 230 without great care,” the aide said.
Republican lawmakers including Trump ally Senator Josh Hawley have pushed for repealing Sec 230. Biden aides have previously said he is open to debate on how to reform Sec 230.
Dumping it was so important to Trump that he vetoed $740 billion defence legislation in December because lawmakers had not heeded his demand for language repealing Section 230.
Trump was angered after Twitter, in cracking down on election misinformation, labelled some of his posts as containing disputed or misleading content. Twitter in January banned Trump’s account.
Wyden’s aides have circulated material among Senate Democrats to build consensus on changing not dumping Sec 230.
Scott Wallsten, president of the Washington-based Technology Policy Institute think tank, said the conversations can inform Biden’s thinking on issues related to tech and at the very least get White House advisers thinking about what needs to be done. “I think they are trying to develop a more well-thought-out position,” Wallsten said of White House officials. “A lot of this will take time - nothing in terms of policy positions will be immediate.”
THE DEBATE HAS BEEN AROUND A MEASURE CALLED SECTION 230 THAT SHIELDS SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS FROM LAWSUITS OVER MUCH OF THE CONTENT POSTED BY USERS
NEW DELHI: Work on the redevelopment of Chandni Chowk is likely to be completed by March 31, said officials of Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation (SRDC), the agency which is overseeing the project.
The project envisaged revamping the 1.3 km stretch between Red Fort and Fatehpuri mosque flanked by the Chandni Chowk market on both sides by making it a pedestrian-only zone, provide broad walkways, water ATMS, toilet complexes, and street furniture mimicking the Mughal-era architecture.
Public Works Department (PWD) minister Satyendar Jain said officials have been directed to complete the project within the deadline.
Senior PWD officials said over 90% work was complete. They said currently “finishing touches” were being given and stone work was going on near Town Hall. A toilet complex near Fountain Chowk was also nearing completion, they said.
The idea of the project first came up in 2004. In 2008, the chief minister Sheila Dikshit set up the Shahjanahabad Redevelopment Corporation as a nodal agency to oversee the implementation of the project by bringing all stakeholders on a common platform.
It was launched in August 2018 by the AAP government and work began in December that year.
The initial deadline was fixed at March 2020, but it was revised to March 2021 due to several delaying factors such as the Covid pandemic and the legal issues in removing encroachments, including some religious structures.
Garima Gupta, managing director, SRDC, said the deadline of the project has been rescheduled to March-end this year. “The work is underway in full swing and we hope to complete it within the timeline. The deadline of the project has now been revised to March 31, 2021,” Gupta said.
Explaining the reasons behind the delay, a PWD official who declined to be named said even though work resumed in June this year after the government began the unlock process after the nationwide Covid-induced lockdown, progress was slow due to shortage of labour. “Now the project is inching towards completion. We have completed over 90% work, which includes major construction works such as digging and shifting of utilities. Overhead wires have also been made underground and drains in the area are being fixed and beautified. We will complete the project by March 31, 2021,” the official said.
PWD engineer-in-chief Shashi Kant conducted an inspection last week to review the progress of the project. He directed the officials to expedite the remaining work and finish the project within the deadline.
The corridor will strictly be a “no vehicle zone” during the daytime and only non-motorised vehicles such as rickshaws and e-rickshaws will be allowed to move on the stretch. However, loading and unloading of goods will be allowed during the night, officials said.
Sanjay Bhargava, president Chandni Chowk Sarv Vyapar Mandal, said it is the maintenance of the redeveloped portion, which is required as it is being spoiled by encroachment. “Stretches that have been beautified on the corridor can be seen occupied by beggars, illegal vendors. The authorities should also take care of this problem of encroachment as it will only malign the beauty of the redeveloped areas,” Bhargava said.
He said besides the remaining civil work, the agencies were yet to install CCTV cameras and streetlights.
AGK Menon, a consultant with Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), said the project will improve shopping experience in the area. “There were practical problems that delayed the project. It should not be delayed further. Hopefully, it will be completed by the revised deadline,” Menon said.
Stretches that have been beautified on the corridor can already be seen occupied by beggars, illegal vendors.
SANJAY BHARGAVA, president Chandni Chowk Sarv Vyapar Mandal
NEW DELHI : The Delhi forest department has issued a restraining order to the public works department (PWD) to stop it from dumping construction and debris waste on a green belt near Brar Square in Delhi Cantonment, which is deemed forest land.
Officials of the PWD did not comment on the order.
The order, issued by deputy conservator of forests (Dcfwest zone) Navneet Srivastava on February 11, said the PWD was found “dumping construction waste/malba inside the green belt located near Brar Square railway crossing on the Ring Road”.
It further said, “..the green area on the said road (inner Ring Road) is a deemed forest and dumping construction waste in the said area is a violation of Section 2 of the Forest Conservation Act (1980).”
The order stated that the PWD is restrained from “all kinds of construction work/ dumping construction waste on the entire inner Ring Road with immediate effect”.
In Delhi’s context, “an area above 2.5 acres having a density of 100 trees per acre as well as green stretches along roads and drains having a length of one kilometre” are considered deemed forests.
According to the rules, to undertake any “non-forest related activity” in such area, permission has to be sought from the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change.
The green belt near the Brar Square railway station features in the original list of areas identified as deemed forest land, in an affidavit submitted by the Delhi forest department in 1997 before the Supreme Court in the TN Godavarman Thirumulpad vs Union of India case. In any case, any area that fulfils the conditions of the definition of ”deemed forest” is to be protected by the forest department.
Further, dumping of construction waste is not just prohibited on forest land but is also illegal in any public space, according to the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act
The forest department order came on a complaint received by the office of the deputy conservator of forests, stating that on November 4, 2020, the PWD was found undertaking “some kind of earth levelling work by dumping construction and demolition waste on the green belt”.
Such activity was also noticed on November 19 and then again on December 10, according to the complaint.
A follow-up on that complaint, sent on January 20, 2021, asserted that the activity was still continuing.
Deputy conservator of forests Srivastava said no fine has been imposed on the PWD yet. “We have not levied any monetary penalty yet. The matter is being investigated now. Since the restraining order was issued, no fresh dumping has been noticed at the site,” he said.