Internet

A Policymaker’s Guide to the “Techlash”—What It Is and Why It’s a Threat to Growth and Progress
Growing animus toward “Big Tech” companies and generalized opposition to technological innovation engenders support for policies that are expressly designed to inhibit it. That is deeply problematic for future progress, prosperity, and competitiveness.
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For a menu of actionable ideas for policymakers related to the Internet, see ITIF’s “Tech Policy To-Do List.”

Internet
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November 12, 2019
Fact of the Week: Ninety Percent of 8th Graders in the United States Were Judged to be Proficient in a Test of Computer and Information Literacy, Compared to an International Average of 82 Percent
Ensuring that students are not only capable of using technology, but also of integrating technology into their work is key to providing students with the skills they will need in the modern economy. In 2018, over 46,000 8th graders from 12 developed and developing countries participated in a study of computer and information literacy.
November 12, 2019
Don’t Shoot the Messenger’s Social Network
While most people agree lying is wrong, nobody seems to agree on what should happen to those lies when politicians publish them on social media.
October 28, 2019
A Policymaker’s Guide to the “Techlash”—What It Is and Why It’s a Threat to Growth and Progress
Growing animus toward “Big Tech” companies and generalized opposition to technological innovation engenders support for policies that are expressly designed to inhibit it. That is deeply problematic for future progress, prosperity, and competitiveness.
October 18, 2019
Hawley’s Proposal to Protect Children on Social Networks Is a Misfire
All too often, well-intentioned proposals aimed at protecting children result in rules that could limit innovation for the very population they are intended to help.
October 15, 2019
Data and Privacy Are Not Antitrust Concerns
Antitrust law is an important tool for protecting competition and preventing abuses of market power. But the mere possession of data seldom confers lasting market power. And privacy issues, while very important, should not be an antitrust issue.
October 7, 2019
The Case for a U.S. Digital Single Market and Why Federal Preemption Is Key
A national framework for digital economy rules would ensure the same protections for all U.S. residents, minimize transaction costs for businesses, enable opportunities to innovate, and increase efficiency in the policymaking process.
September 16, 2019
Fact of the Week: The Internet Increased the Global Economic Growth Rate by 0.7 Percentage Points Between 1995 and 2016
The rise of the Internet has allowed billions of people to access services that would not exist otherwise, while driving the growth of technologies that power them. A new study has attempted to quantify this effect, examining the rate of Internet usage across 76 countries between 1995 and 2016.
September 16, 2019
Think Different: Why Progressives Should Stop Bashing ‘Big Tech’
There is much to do to restore the promise of the American dream for U.S. workers. Attacking tech companies might feel good, and even excite some in the progressive base, but it won’t get the job done.
August 21, 2019
8chan Is Not the Only Wayward Website Cloudflare and Tucows Should Stop Shielding
While these two companies were right to finally cut ties with the notorious “cesspool of hate” after mounting public pressure, they should also be cutting their ties to other bad actors on the Internet, including those that engage in online piracy.
July 2, 2019
Comments to the UK Government for Its Public Consultation on Online Harms
If implemented, a proposal on online harms would restrict legitimate content without due process, hurt digital businesses, limit access to information and, by creating state regulation of speech, damage freedom of expression for millions of users.

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