Posts in Clippings
The New Yorker: How Elizabeth Warren Came Up with a Plan to Break Up Big Tech
The New Yorker: How Elizabeth Warren Came Up with a Plan to Break Up Big Tech

The New Yorker's Sheelah Kolhatkar profiles Elizabeth Warren's plans to break up big tech and how in early 2016 then-Open Markets' Lina Khan and Barry Lynn shaped her thinking in regards to antimonopoly policy. She reports that on June 29, 2016, Warren delivered a speech, titled “Reigniting Competition in the American Economy,” at an event for Open Markets. “Google, Apple, and Amazon have created disruptive technologies that changed the world, and every day they deliver enormous value,” Warren said. “They deserve to be highly profitable and highly successful. But the opportunity to compete must remain open for new entrants and smaller competitors who want their chance to change the world.”

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ClippingsOpen MarketsAugust 2019, 2019, Barry Lynn, Law, Politics
Bloomberg: The Techlash Is Only Making Facebook Stronger
Bloomberg: The Techlash Is Only Making Facebook Stronger

Bloomberg's Sarah Frier writes a critical report about the Federal Trade Commission's $5 billion settlement with Facebook. She reports that the FTC’s antitrust investigation looks a lot less imposing given its privacy settlement with the company and speaks with Open Markets Senior Fellow Matt Stoller. “For any anticompetitive behavior they want to get away with, they’re going to say, ‘The FTC made us,’ ” Stoller told her. “That’s what they bought for $5 billion.”

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ClippingsOpen MarketsAugust 2019, 2019, Facebook, Amazon
The Verge: The FBI wants to build a data dragnet on Facebook
The Verge: The FBI wants to build a data dragnet on Facebook

The Verge reports on the FBI's plans to build a dragnet on Facebook demonstrating the incoherence of the government's approach to Facebook. "On one hand, it fines Facebook $5 billion for violating users’ privacy; on the other, it outlines a plan to potentially store all Americans’ public posts in a database for monitoring purposes." The Verge also reviews other Facebook news and cites Open Markets Senior Fellow Matt Stoller in regards to Facebook's ad network crashes: "How much of a monopoly do you have to be to literally not care if your cash register breaks? Oh I can’t take your money nvm I’ll get it later.”

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ClippingsOpen MarketsAugust 2019, 2019, Facebook
Fast Company: Gmail keeps a record of your purchase history in plain sight, and it’s not alone
Fast Company: Gmail keeps a record of your purchase history in plain sight, and it’s not alone

Joel Winston writes a story for Fast Company about how Google is collecting your transaction data directly from your Gmail inbox and other Google services you use. He cites Open Markets Senior Fellow Matt Stoller's op-ed on The New York Times on Facebook's Calibra project raising the specter of big tech's ability to discriminate on pricing to consumers.

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ClippingsOpen MarketsAugust 2019, 2019, Google
The Verge: The FTC is looking into the Amazon and Apple deal that crushed small resellers
The Verge: The FTC is looking into the Amazon and Apple deal that crushed small resellers

The Verge's Nick Statt speaks with Open Markets Director of Enforcement Strategy Sally Hubbard about Amazon's deal with Apple to bring direct iPhone sales to its platform for the first time. Hubbard believes the Amazon-Apple deal could be a violation of antitrust laws that deal with anti-competitive conduct like price-fixing and illegal market allocation.

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ClippingsOpen MarketsAugust 2019, 2019, Apple, Amazon
Fast Company: This senator was Big Tech’s friend—but is now its greatest threat
Fast Company: This senator was Big Tech’s friend—but is now its greatest threat

Fast Company reporter Ainsley Harris tells the story of Senator Mark Warner, a former telecom investor and entrepreneur, sounding the alarm on China’s advancement—and Big Tech’s misconduct. She speaks with Open Markets Senior Fellow Matt Stoller as part of the feature, describing Stoller as "another voice agitating for policy makers to address Silicon Valley’s 'concentrations of capital' and perverse incentives."

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ClippingsOpen MarketsJuly 2019, 2019, Amazon, Google, Microsoft
POLITICO: 'It will be fascinating': Silicon Valley faces an antitrust reckoning
POLITICO: 'It will be fascinating': Silicon Valley faces an antitrust reckoning

POLITICO's Steve Overly writes about Silicon Valley's antitrust troubles in Washington and the confluence of probes America's biggest tech companies are facing. He reports that enforcers "have met with Barry Lynn, executive director of the Open Markets Institute." He also interviews Lynn who argues that strong antitrust action can alter the digital business models that have given rise to issues like disinformation.

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ClippingsOpen MarketsJuly 2019, 2019, Amazon, Apple, Google, Facebook, Politics, Barry Lynn
AP Explains: What T-Mobile takeover of Sprint means for you
AP Explains: What T-Mobile takeover of Sprint means for you

Open Markets Executive Director Barry Lynn is cited by AP reporters Mae Anderson and Tali Arbel about the implications of the T-Mobile/Sprint merger. “Americans across the country will likely pay higher prices for worse service in a wireless market dominated by AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile,” said Lynn. “The problem is especially bad for poor and rural customers.”

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ClippingsOpen MarketsJuly 2019, 2019, Barry Lynn, Mergers & Acquisitions
New York Times: Inside Chris Hughes’s campaign to break up Facebook, the tech ‘monopoly’ he helped create
New York Times: Inside Chris Hughes’s campaign to break up Facebook, the tech ‘monopoly’ he helped create

Reporters Elizabeth Dwoskin and Tony Romm report on former Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes' campaign to break up Facebook. Hughes has "become one of the company’s biggest problems," they report. They also wrote that lawmakers and regulators have also held meetings with other antitrust experts, according to those leaders, such as Barry Lynn from the Open Markets Institute.

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ClippingsOpen MarketsFacebook, July 2019, 2019, Barry Lynn
PBS Newshour: FTC fines Facebook $5 billion for privacy violations, adds oversight
PBS Newshour: FTC fines Facebook $5 billion for privacy violations, adds oversight

PBS Newshour speaks to Open Markets Senior Fellow Matthew Stoller about the Federal Trade Commission's $5 billion settlement with Facebook. “There should be structural solutions to force competition into the social networking market,” Stoller said. “One of the angles for competition is privacy. They will compete to make a safer space to retain their user base.”

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ClippingsOpen MarketsJuly 2019, 2019, Facebook
Yahoo! Finance: Ex-antitrust prosecutor on Amazon: 'There is plenty there for enforcers to go after'
Yahoo! Finance: Ex-antitrust prosecutor on Amazon: 'There is plenty there for enforcers to go after'

Yahoo Finance Associate Editor Katie Krzaczek reports on an interview of Open Markets Director of Enforcement Strategy Sally Hubbard by Yahoo Finance's YFI AM on the recent news that the Department of Justice is launching an antitrust review of big tech. Hubbard told Yahoo Finance’s YFI AM that “there is plenty there for enforcers to go after,” especially in its retail practices.

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ClippingsOpen MarketsJuly 2019, 2019, Law, Amazon
ABC News: Is 'Big Tech' too big? A look at growing antitrust scrutiny
ABC News: Is 'Big Tech' too big? A look at growing antitrust scrutiny

Open Markets Legal Director Sandeep Vaheesan speaks to the AP's Barbara Ortutay and Rachel Lerman about Google as they report on Washington's growing antitrust scrutiny. In regards to Google's dominance, Google might argue it doesn't have an obligation to do business with its rivals at all — an argument that other companies have made when faced with similar challenges, said Vaheesan.

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ClippingsOpen MarketsJuly 2019, 2019, Sandeep Vaheesan, Google, Amazon, Facebook
Mashable: Libra Hasn't Even Launched Yet And Facebook Is Already In Trouble Over It
Mashable: Libra Hasn't Even Launched Yet And Facebook Is Already In Trouble Over It

Mashable editor Stan Schroeder reports on Facebook facing trouble for its Libra currency proposal before it's launched. He cites the Open Markets Institute, Public Citizen, Demand Progress Education Fund, and Revolving Door Project urging members of the Libra Association (which includes Mastercard, Visa, PayPal, Coinbase, eBay, and others) to leave the project.

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ClippingsOpen MarketsJuly 2019, 2019, Facebook
Business Insider: It's absurd that we're even entertaining Facebook's Libra currency idea
Business Insider: It's absurd that we're even entertaining Facebook's Libra currency idea

Business Insider reporter Linette Lopez asserts: "No, Facebook should not be allowed to have its own currency." In her piece, she cites Open Markets recent report warning against Facebook's proposal to launch Libra, a global digital currency. "I wouldn't let Facebook water my plants, let alone monitor my banking transactions," she writes.

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ClippingsOpen MarketsJuly 2019, 2019, Facebook