Jack Valenti. Photo by Bloomberg
The Takeaway
Policy Facebook Apple

Why Tech’s Infighting Feeds Critics

Photo: Jack Valenti. Photo by Bloomberg

The current storm of political attacks on big tech in Washington D.C. reminds me of a period in the 1990s, when the television industry was facing bipartisan outrage over the amount of sex and violence on TV. Back then, just as is happening now in tech, elements of the entertainment industry tried to shift the blame to other parts: local stations blamed the broadcast networks while the broadcast networks blamed the cable industry.

Enter Jack Valenti, then CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America. He rallied the entire industry to extend the content rating system created for movies to television. The labeling of TV shows for sex and and violence defused the controversy.


Get access to exclusive coverage
Read deeply reported stories from the largest newsroom in tech.
Latest Articles
 
The Briefing
Tech Selloff Follows Earnings: The Information’s Tech Briefing
By The Information Staff · Oct. 30, 2020 5:31 PM PDT
Tech Selloff Follows Earnings: The Information’s Tech Briefing

If Thursday was party time for tech companies, most of which reported better-than-expected earnings, Friday was the hangover. Most big tech stocks tumbled, as the Nasdaq led the market down by losing nearly 2.5%. Yes, there is a disconnect there, although major tech stocks have rallied strongly in recent months, so maybe they’re getting hit harder by growing anxieties about Covid-19 and ...

Latest Briefs
 
Dropbox CTO Departs a Year After Joining
By Kevin McLaughlin · Oct. 30, 2020
Sony Closes in on Deal for Crunchyroll
By Tom Dotan · Oct. 30, 2020
Under Armour Sells MyFitnessPal to Investment Firm
By Martin Peers · Oct. 30, 2020
Stay in the know
Receive a summary of the day's top tech news—distilled into one email.
Access on the go
View stories on our mobile app and tune into our weekly podcast.
Join live video Q&A’s
Deep-dive into topics like startups and autonomous vehicles with our top reporters and other executives.
Enjoy a clutter-free experience
Read without any banner ads.
Inside Apple’s Eroding Partnership With Foxconn
Exclusive Asia Apple
Inside Apple’s Eroding Partnership With Foxconn
By Wayne Ma
When Apple’s 2018 iPad Pro was undergoing production trials at the company’s largest outside manufacturer, Foxconn Technology, the Taiwanese firm gave Apple a list of how many workers it needed to develop the new product.
The SPAC Target List: Private Tech and Media Firms in Their Teenage Years
The SPAC Target List: Private Tech and Media Firms in Their Teenage Years
By Ross Matican and Martin Peers
A dozen private tech and media firms, ranging from BuzzFeed to Getaround, have been left behind in the initial public offering surge of the past two years.
Airbnb’s Spin Master
Exclusive Travel Real Estate
Airbnb’s Spin Master
By Cory Weinberg
Chris Lehane was piping mad. Laurence Tosi, Airbnb’s chief financial officer, had accused the Airbnb policy and communications chief of spending millions of dollars before Tosi had signed off on the plans, approval Lehane didn’t think he needed.
The Startup Trap Quibi Fell Into (and I Almost Did Too)
The Takeaway
The Startup Trap Quibi Fell Into (and I Almost Did Too)
By Jessica E. Lessin
This week, Tom and Jessica broke the news that Quibi founder Jeffrey Katzenberg had told people the video startup might have to shut down and then—a day later— reported the shutdown officially.
To Fix Section 230, Target Algorithmic Amplification
Opinion
To Fix Section 230, Target Algorithmic Amplification
By Roddy Lindsay
It now seems inevitable that the U.S. government will try to roll back some of the protections that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act has provided to internet companies.
The Tech Giants’ Cultures Are Incompatible With Fixing the Societal Problems They’re Causing
Opinion Policy Google
The Tech Giants’ Cultures Are Incompatible With Fixing the Societal Problems They’re Causing
By Yaël Eisenstat
The chief executives of Facebook, Google and Twitter are rightly under fire for their role in spreading disinformation and hate speech, including in the context of the U.S.