With Files From Jori Negin-Shecter
Donald Trump is suing a number of Big Tech companies, Major global leaders are making a push for the right-to-repair, and Steve Wozniak makes a powerful statement.
It’s all the biz/tech news that’s popular right now. Welcome to Hashtag Trending! It’s Friday, July 9 and I’m your host Alex Coop.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is once again making headlines after suing Twitter, Google and Facebook. As is often the case from the Donald Trump playbook, the case alleges that Trump faced “censorship”, and also targets the CEOs of each of the three companies involved. The lawsuit comes as Republican officials attempt to “take on big tech” by revamping Section 230 and calling for antitrust measures to break up big tech companies. Section 230 generally provides immunity for website platforms from third-party – or in most cases on social media, user-generated content. The case has been criticized by legal experts, who point to Trump’s habit of litigious behaviour, as well as questioning his argument of free speech infringement. [Reddit] [BBC]
The right-to-repair move has made some significant strides over the last week with significant announcements on the issue coming out of the U.K., Europe, and the U.S. in recent weeks. Last week, the U.K. introduced right-to-repair rules that legally require manufacturers to make spare parts available for people purchasing appliances. That news follows an ongoing effort from the European Commission to create right-to-repair rules for smartphones, tablets and laptops. Across the pond in the United States, President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order in the coming days that would prompt the FTC to draw up rules on the repair of farming equipment. While companies such as John Deere have claimed that the right-to-repair laws could pose a safety risk to consumers, support from across the United States has been growing in recent years, with most of the 50 states proposing right-to-repair laws in 2021. Come on, just let us repair our own stuff like we used to. [Reddit] [BBC]
Speaking of the right-to-repair, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak took time to speak on the topic in a Cameo video released on Wednesday. Wozniak spoke at length about the importance of the right-to-repair in Apple’s early days of development, as well as the topic’s meaningful place in his upbringing. Wozniak added that it is “time to recognize the right-to-repair more fully,” ending his cameo with a thought-provoking comment asking “Is it your computer? Or is it some company’s computer? It’s time to start doing the right things.” [Reddit]
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