- SpaceX set to launch mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Boeing strike grinds on as latest talks fail to reach agreement
- Iran 'news' sites, hackers target Trump ahead of US election
- US ports brace for potential dockworkers strike
- Japan's speedy, spotless Shinkansen bullet trains turn 60
- US hurricane deaths rise to 44, fears of more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Global stocks mostly rise, cheering Beijing stimulus
- Europe en route for Moon with new simulator, says astronaut Pesquet
- Fireworks forecast if comet survives risky Sun flypast
- Argentina judge orders dictionary to delete pejorative definition of 'Jewish'
- Global stocks rise on rate hopes, Beijing stimulus
- S.African woman turns 118, among the oldest in the world
- UK clears $4 bn AI partnership between Amazon, Anthropic
- Barca fans barred from Champions League away game over racist banner
- Chinese stocks extend surge, Europe higher on Beijing stimulus
- Pope says Church must 'seek forgiveness' for child sexual abuse
- China caps week of 'bazooka' stimulus for ailing economy with rate cut
- Cuts, cash, credit: China bids to jumpstart flagging economy
- France's debt weighs heavier ahead of budget debate
- Iran treads carefully, backing Hezbollah while avoiding war
- Return to sender: waste stranded at sea stirs toxic dispute
- 'Broken' news industry faces uncertain future
- On remote Greek island, migratory birds offer climate clues
- Taken from mother by nuns, victim seeks answers as pope visits Belgium
- China cuts amount banks hold in reserve to boost lending
- Hong Kong, Shanghai extend surge as China optimism boosts markets
- Vietnam president reiterates support for Cuba during official visit
- Drought reduces Amazon River in Colombia by as much as 90%: report
- Stay or go? Pacific Islanders face climate's grim choice
- Florida bracing for 'unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene
- Poverty rises to over 52 percent in Milei's Argentina
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala Harris
- Champagne houses abuzz over English sparkling wine
- Macron, Trudeau pledge to work for 'decarbonized' economies
- Hurricanes, storms, typhoons... Is September wetter than usual?
- China stimulus, tech optimism boost stock markets
- 'Unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene races towards Florida
- Macron meets Trudeau in Canada as both face political setbacks
- South Korea surges in UN innovation index
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala
- Floods threaten Niger's historic 'gateway to the desert'
- China economy hopes boost global equities
- Ubisoft shares sink after 'Assassin's Creed' delay
- German economy to shrink again in 2024: think tanks
- Hong Kong's New World Development replaces CEO Adrian Cheng
- Swiss central bank cuts rate again amid strong franc worries
- Germany's BASF to focus on 'core units' in major overhaul
- China admits economy facing new 'problems', vows to fix property sector
- Stock markets boosted by China hopes, tech rally
US lawmakers advance Big Tech competition bill
A US Senate panel endorsed legislation Thursday that would block tech giants from prioritizing their products over those of smaller rivals, a potentially major reform that will face a tough fight in Congress.
Partisan deadlock has doomed a series of previous bills aimed at cracking down on problems ranging from privacy to business competition for these goliaths, but the 16-6 vote by the Judiciary Committee signalled some momentum.
The American Innovation and Choice Online Act was advanced with bi-partisan support, setting it on a path to be considered by the full Senate -- but still a long ways from being law.
Under the bill, dominant platforms like Amazon or Google would be barred from discriminating against other companies that rely on their services to do business.
For example, Amazon would not be allowed to list its brand of products higher than a competitor that also uses the platform to sell to consumers.
Even though Thursday's hearing is just one step in a lengthy potential journey to President Joe Biden's desk, Big Tech firms have flexed their muscle in opposition.
"I spent about 40 minutes on the phone yesterday with Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, who expressed significant concerns about the bill," conservative Senator Ted Cruz told the hearing, before voting in favor of the legislation.
Kent Walker, president of global affairs and chief legal officer for Google parent Alphabet, also lobbied hard with a blog post titled: "The harmful consequences of Congress's anti-tech bills."
Criticism of Big Tech power swelled last year after the Facebook whistleblower scandal revealed the firm knew its platforms could hurt teens' well-being -- giving renewed momentum to regulation efforts.
However, US lawmakers have long lagged behind the technology and social issues it has become entwined in, while Republicans and Democrats have been unable to agree on an approach.
Yet the efforts targeting the industry's titans have drawn support from smaller companies like review site Yelp and web privacy service DuckDuckGo.
"Dominant technologies companies' ability to give their own products and services preferential placement, access, and data on online platforms and operating systems prevents companies like us from competing on the merits," over three dozen firms told lawmakers in a letter.
The bill, however, comes as Biden's Democrats have the narrowest of control over Congress, with legislative elections set for November.
Biden has struggled to get major portions of his domestic agenda through Congress, seeing setbacks on voting rights as well as his social spending package.
Yet Senator Amy Klobuchar argued Thursday that taking on Big Tech is vitally important, too.
"What this is about, at its core, is monopolies," she told the hearing. "We have to look at this differently than just start-up companies in a garage. That's not what they are anymore."
A.Levy--CPN