*By Michael Teich*
Democrats led by Senator Mark Warner are stepping up the charge against big tech, but they may not accomplish anything unless the party makes major gains in the midterm elections, according to Axios reporter David McCabe.
Disinformation and privacy concerns on social media platforms have become a major concern of many lawmakers after Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election was uncovered.
"It's not hugely surprising to see Democrats engaging on the disinformation piece because of the concerns about 2016," McCabe said Tuesday in an interview with Cheddar.
Facebook has spent nearly two years working to counter political misinformation campaigns on its platform. The company announced Tuesday it found and removed 32 pages and accounts linked to an influence campaign on Facebook and Instagram. Warner said in a statement Tuesday that "the Kremlin continues to exploit platforms like Facebook to sow division and spread disinformation."
Before Facebook's announcement, McCabe had obtained Warner's policy papers, which propose 20 ways to address disinformation online, protect user privacy, and encourage greater competition.
McCabe said he's skeptical that Warner's proposals can be enacted in the near-term. Despite a growing tech-lash and heightened concerns over data privacy that resulted from Facebook's Cambridge Analytica scandal, the issues are not priorities for Democrats or Republicans.
"Going into midterms, this hasn’t proven to be a big election issue," McCabe said before Facebook's latest revelation.
If Democrats can shift party control of Congress in November, they may be able to get enough momentum behind Warner's ideas, said McCabe. But even if they do well in midterms, the Democrats will have to go up against big tech's robust lobbying efforts. McCabe said the Democrats' intentions, as outlined by Warner, may prompt tech companies to spend even more on lobbying lawmakers in Washington.
In September, legislators will question social media executives including Twitter's Jack Dorsey in order to evaluate how government regulations might prevent the spread of misinformation and propaganda on social platforms.
For more on this, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/mark-warners-uphill-battle-against-big-tech).
Cheddar has been covering the biggest news of the week with some of the biggest names in the biz. In case you missed it, we've pulled together some of the highlights that will keep you informed as we get ready for the week ahead.
Ethereum has long played second fiddle to the headline-grabbing Bitcoin, but the world's second most valuable cryptocurrency has plenty of defenders who say it's destined for the throne.
Babylist, an online baby registry for expecting and new parents, recently raised $40 million a Series C round, bringing the company's total funding to $50 million. Babylist also operates as an e-commerce and content platform. The company says it aims to be a one-stop solution for first-time parents who don't know what they need to buy for their new child. Babylist also says it wants to expand to address the needs of the entire family. Babylist founder and CEO Natalie Gordon joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Cheddar has been covering the biggest news of the week with some of the biggest names in the biz.
Congress has created a new requirement for automakers: Find a high-tech way to keep drunken people from driving cars.
The Democrat and former police officer has since doubled down on his plans to make New York a crypto hub along the lines of Miami,
Britain’s Prince Harry has sharply attacked the failure of social media companies to challenge hate online, revealing that he warned the chief executive of Twitter ahead of the Jan. 6 Capitol riots that the site was being used to stage political unrest.
Robinhood said Monday that it suffered a security breach last week where hackers accessed some personal information for roughly 7 million users and demanded a ransom payment.
Tesla shares slumped more than 4% in premarket trading on Monday after its CEO Elon Musk said he would sell 10% of his holdings in the electric car maker based on the results of a poll he conducted on Twitter over the weekend.
WarnerMedia posted solid quarterly results with revenue surpassing $8 billion as its entertainment business continues to boom. The media and entertainment giant saw wild success with its HBO Max division, which reached nearly 70 million subscribers globally. To discuss the company's strategy for success, Cheddar senior reporter Michelle Castillo spoke to WarnerMedia CFO Jennifer Biry.
