Amendment One: The Tipline for 11 January 2021

Animosity towards major technology companies was bipartisan even before a violent mob stormed the US Capitol last week. Now that regulatory spotlight seems a bit brighter. Some Democrats say that Wednesday’s insurrection demonstrates the failure of platforms like Google, Facebook and Twitter to curb the spread of misinformation and extremism. Some Republicans argue that platform bans for President Donald Trump and app store bans for Parler, a social media site popular among Trump supporters, amounts to political censorship. Regardless, it appears that “free speech” arguments may play a larger role in future antitrust debates. In other First Amendment-related competition news, a former Citigroup trader acquitted of price-fixing charges has secured permission to use “public” trial exhibits in administrative proceedings – despite the Department of Justice’s objections.