Reddit banned a forum dedicated to President Donald Trump, CEO Steve Huffman announced Monday, citing repeated violations of policies prohibiting promoting hate. Reddit banned subreddit r/The_Donald because it “has consistently hosted and upvoted more rule-breaking content than average,” antagonized the platform and other subreddits, and “its mods have refused to meet our most basic expectations,” Huffman wrote. “Until now, we’ve worked in good faith to help them preserve the community as a space for its users -- through warnings, mod changes, quarantining, and more.” He cited rules against identity attacks, racism, harassment, bullying and threats of violence: “Communities and people that incite violence or that promote hate based on identity or vulnerability will be banned.”
The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology meets Tuesday virtually starting at 11 a.m. EDT to discuss industries of the future and other topics, the Office of Science and Technology Policy announced Friday. OSTP Director Kelvin Droegemeier and Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios will speak, along with representatives from the private sector, including IBM.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai hasn't ruled out extending his term into the next administration. He answered us during an Internet Innovation Alliance chat Thursday. Asked if he would stick around if President Donald Trump is reelected, or if former Vice President Joe Biden wins and asks Pai to remain, the chairman said he hasn't been able to think about what comes next, given the work the agency has before it now. Commissioners Brendan Carr and Mike O'Rielly are likely candidates to become next Republican chair if Trump is re-elected (see 2006230059). When IIA Founding Chairman Bruce Mehlman asked whether Pai might someday run for president himself, Pai couldn't rule that out, either, but said he's not sure what he would bring to the table "besides bad jokes and the occasional good tweet." Asked if he supports updates to the USF contribution mechanism, Pai said he didn't want to get in front of Commissioner Mike O'Rielly's work (see 1910250059). But Pai said because many consumers are struggling with their finances during the pandemic, "the last thing they would want to pay is a broadband tax." Pai said the agency released list of eligible bidding areas for the upcoming Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auctions Thursday. It follows the agency's evaluation of challenges to a draft list, he said. It should give potential bidders more certainty before applications are due.
White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro's remarks that the U.S.-China phase one trade deal was “over” were “just groundless and absurd,” responded a Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Tuesday. “He’s always full of lies and has zero credibility.” The “turning point” that derailed the agreement came after Chinese officials traveled to Washington to sign the phase one deal Jan. 15, “a full two months after they knew the virus was out and about,” Navarro told Fox News Monday. “The China Trade Deal is fully intact,” tweeted President Donald Trump hours later. “Hopefully they will continue to live up to the terms of the Agreement!”
President Donald Trump was wrong in suggesting the U.S. could sever ties with China, said a Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Friday. “In this era of globalization, the interests of all countries are closely intertwined,” he said. “Global industrial and supply chains are formed and developed in such ways as determined by market forces and business decisions. As such, it is unrealistic and insensible to try to sever them or wish political forces would override economic law. Such practices will not help solve America's domestic problems. Instead, they will only cause more harm to the ordinary American people.” The spokesperson sidestepped questions about whether Trump’s threats could endanger the U.S.-China phase one trade deal. “U.S. certainly does maintain a policy option, under various conditions, of a complete decoupling from China,” tweeted Trump Thursday. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer told Congress a day earlier that decoupling wasn’t a “reasonable” trade policy.
Facebook removed some of President Donald Trump’s campaign posts and ads for violating the company’s policy against organized hate, a campaign spokesperson confirmed Thursday: The antifa-related ad included an inverted red triangle, similar to one once used by Nazis to designate political prisoners. “Facebook still has an inverted red triangle emoji in use, which looks exactly the same, so it’s curious that they would target only this ad,” the spokesperson said. “It is ironic that it took a Trump ad to force the media to implicitly concede that antifa is a hate group.” The company didn’t comment.
President Donald Trump said Friday he wants the Republican National Committee to update the party’s platform for the 2020 election campaign, in response to reports the RNC executive committee voted Thursday to leave the GOP’s manifesto unchanged from what it used in 2016, including on tech and telecom. The executive committee passed rules for its planned August convention in Charlotte that limit the number of delegates in attendance in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The RNC decided to move other major parts of the convention to Jacksonville after Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper was unable to guarantee high-attendance gatherings could happen amid the pandemic. RNC rules say if the national convention isn’t able to fully convene in the convention city, then only roll call votes for the presidential and vice presidential nominees can occur. That would in effect bar the RNC from updating its platform for 2020. The 2016 one includes language on cybersecurity and privacy issues (see 1607270061). “The Republican Party has not yet voted on a Platform,” Trump tweeted. “No rush. I prefer a new and updated Platform, short form, if possible.” Republicans “intend to advance policies that protect data privacy while fostering innovation and growth and ensuring the free flow of data across borders” and “our agenda includes balanced protections for intellectual property,” the 2016 platform said. “We intend to facilitate access to spectrum by paving the way for high-speed, next-generation broadband deployment and competition on the internet and for internet services. We want government to encourage the sharing economy and on-demand platforms to compete in an open market, and we believe public policies should encourage the innovation and competition that are essential for an Internet of Things to thrive.” That platform criticized President Barack Obama’s administration for doing “little to advance our goal of universal broadband coverage.”
President Donald Trump should urge local leaders to fully investigate attacks on the press (see 2006080051), asked 72 international journalism organizations, industry and peace groups Thursday. The groups included the Committee to Protect Journalists, Global Forum for Media Development and International Press Institute. “Instead of condemning journalists and the media, we urge you to commend and celebrate them as the embodiment of the First Amendment, which is the envy of so many countries around the world,” the letter said. CPJ sent a similar letter to governors Monday: “When the U.S. backslides it sends a green light to authoritarian-leaning leaders around the world to restrict the press and the free flow of information.”
U.S.-China technology competition and Trump administration restrictions on Huawei likely dashed prospects of a phase two trade deal, China experts said. Robert Dohner, of Atlantic Council and former Treasury Department official, called the deal “dead,” adding the U.S. approach to protecting technology damaged future negotiations. “I think the technology policies, particularly the pursuit of Huawei, have made it impossible now to go back and negotiate with China on technology policy or domestic industrial policy,” Dohner told a council webinar Tuesday. Leland Miller, a Chinese economy expert with the Atlantic Council, said the administration needs to reassess how it wants to approach Huawei and needs to better follow through on threats. Companies are trying to determine what they can “get away with,” said Dexter Roberts, also of the council. “All the restrictions in the world are going to be very, very hard to implement as long as Huawei is providing fast, cheap chips and cheap telecom gear that countries around the world want.” The White House declined to comment Thursday. The office of U.S. Trade Representative didn't comment.
Public Knowledge and the Open Technology Institute won’t accept funding from Facebook, the groups said Tuesday evening, citing the platform’s decision not to remove controversial comments from President Donald Trump (see 2005290058). OTI cited refusal to remove a post “threatening that ‘when the looting starts, the shooting starts’ in reference to nationwide demonstrations against police brutality, as well as other posts from the President that promoted disinformation about mail-in voting.” Director Sarah Morris said OTI hopes to maintain a constructive dialogue with the platform: “We must all acknowledge our own role in racist systems and make changes to ensure we are part of the solution, rather than the problem. With over 2.6 billion users, Facebook has a clear responsibility to reckon with its role in these systems or risk continuing to facilitate oppression that imperils Black lives.” PK CEO Chris Lewis said the company can do better to play a constructive role in allowing civil discourse online: “That does not include turning a blind eye to messages that intimidate or suppress voters, spread misinformation, or endanger individuals and democracy.” Facebook didn’t comment Wednesday.