Ben Brody

‘Truth is losing the battle’: FDA commissioner on grappling with a wave of health misinformation

he Food and Drug Administration is considering whether it needs to revamp guidance on how FDA-regulated manufacturers should deal with online misinformation about their products as the agency continues to contend with a deadly tide of falsehoods…

TikTok's Chinese sales to overseas consumers are booming

Move Fast/Break Things➚ MOVE FAST: Apple. The iPhone maker is now the only tech giant to have avoided layoffs (at least so far). It has instituted hiring freezes and CEO Tim Cook took a pay cut. Now, Cook looks like the one big tech CEO who deserves…

FTX will supercharge regulatory talk, but the battles are just starting

Hello, and welcome to Protocol Policy! Today I’m thinking about how quickly things can become nasty in Washington, D.C. — and whether Sam Bankman-Fried’s dealings could accelerate that. Plus, the next Congress is coming into focus, Taiwan tensions…

The red trickle could still be bad for TikTok, Apple, and Google

Hello and welcome to Protocol Policy! Today I’m getting ready for a lot of sound and fury in Congress next year. Plus, how tech issues fared in state elections, the EU is officially taking on Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal, and regulators might…

What’s the WARN Act?

It’s an email no tech worker wants to read: “If your employment is impacted, you will receive a notification with next steps via your personal email.” Some 7,500 Twitter employees received that warning in their inboxes on Thursday evening, with the…

Trump allies are questioning US democracy. Tech is letting them.

LendingClub's earnings on Wednesday offered a worrying sign for fintech lenders — even as LendingClub itself holds what could be a key advantage during hard times. The San Francisco company’s third-quarter earnings Wednesday of $0.41 per share topped…

Social media isn’t ready for the next Big Lie

Hello and welcome to Protocol Policy! Today, I’m dreading the thing you’re dreading too. We’ll get to it, but there will also be Vonage’s settlement with the FTC, China’s tech plans, and Nick Clegg’s very British enjoyment of Musk’s travails. A…

Why the midterms could make or break Twitter and TikTok

Hello and welcome to Protocol Policy! Today we look at how the fortunes of TikTok, Twitter, and Meta will change with the upcoming midterms cycle. Also, we have an update on all the Twitter happenings under Musk, and Microsoft will likely need to…

Forget the US: Elon Musk’s real Twitter troubles come from abroad

Hello, and welcome to Protocol Policy! Today I’m listening to spooky music and thinking about how running a giant international company may actually require some sacrifices and compromises for Musk. Plus, questions are swirling about whether Russia…

Social media's 2020 failures were a warning for '22. Brazil may be too.

Hello and welcome to Protocol Policy! Today I’m thinking about how we don’t always learn the lessons we could from other countries. Plus, Musk is already shaking things up now that he owns Twitter, the U.S. isn’t done with export controls, and…

Tech’s political giving is trying to bring us more tech

GMI PAC has been one of the biggest recipients of Silicon Valley's largesse in the leadup to the midterm election. The crypto-allied, independent group focused on races that attracted little national interest, and was almost studiously bipartisan. In…

Big Tech’s payments play has UK regulators in a double bind

Hello, and welcome to Protocol Policy! Today we look at the regulatory pickle that comes with Big Tech entering the payments space. Also, Apple wants to take its 30% cut from boosted social media post purchases, and the Musk-Twitter deal is expected…

Square sells access to your inbox. No one seems to know if the law cares.

When COVID-19 forced Compass Coffee to close down its Washington, D.C.–area shops, the roastery’s owners turned to email to stay in touch with customers. They knew just the tool: The company was already all in on Square. Compass co-founder Michael…

The FTC goes after Drizly — and issues a warning to tech CEOs

The Federal Trade Commission announced Monday it has ordered alcohol-delivery service Drizly, and its CEO James Cory Rellas, to boost the company's security posture after a breach exposed the data of roughly 2.5 million customers. The inclusion of…

Trump wants to sway SCOTUS on Section 230. Soon everyone else will, too.

Hello, and welcome to Protocol Policy! Today I’m bracing myself to find the really brilliant arguments in the pile of garbage that the Supreme Court’s Section 230 case(s) will create. Plus, “swatting” hoaxes aimed at schools have a surprising origin,…

Maryland’s digital ad tax shows how hard ‘easy’ policy can be

Hello, and welcome to Protocol Policy! Today I’m taking you inside a world of sex, mystery, and revelation. Lol, just kidding, we’re talking about corporate taxes, but they’re the kind that could cost you money and help pay for your children’s…

The most important half of Ye's Parler deal is what he isn't buying

SoFi has $5 billion in customer deposits less than a year after the fintech lender acquired the banking charter required to directly hold customer cash. The news came from a third-quarter earnings report that shot SoFi's share price up by more than…

Peter Thiel’s big bet against the California tech world

Hello and welcome to Protocol Policy! Today, we look at how the Senate races in Arizona and Ohio decide the ideological fate of the GOP. Plus, Ye agreed to acquire Parler and Musk said he’ll keep Starlink running over Ukraine. The ‘somewhat fake…

The FTC is readying its war on fake reviews

Hello and welcome to Protocol Policy! Today I’m dreaming of a time when I might not have to face so many obviously dodgy product placements online, but I’ll probably have to dream for a while still. Plus, bigger Huawei/ZTE bans may be coming soon,…

Social media can still avoid a 2020 repeat, civil rights groups say

Major social media services played a crucial role in the spread of falsehoods and disinformation about the 2020 election. Now a coalition of civil rights groups, good-government advocates, and liberal watchdogs say that Instagram, YouTube, TikTok,…