The torrent of news this week was remarkable for a few reasons. For one, a lot that happened had nothing to do with the Covid-19 pandemic. And it was striking that two of the week’s biggest stories—the Trump fight with social media and China’s curtailing of Hong Kong’s autonomy—underlined potential major shifts for the tech industry.
Trump’s fight with Twitter may be more about distracting people from the pandemic and the economy. The executive order might not stand up in court. But if it leads to even a slight erosion in Section 230 immunity, it’s bad news for major tech firms. Over time, it could drastically weaken the business model of many internet firms by requiring much more spending on content oversight.
