Jason Kint Profile picture
Nov 16 9 tweets 4 min read Twitter logo Read on Twitter
Woah. Watched this panel - to discuss state AGs child harm lawsuits filed vs Facebook - hosted by/with three big tech / Facebook-funded orgs (ITIF, Chamber of Progress, NetChoice). They invited a Gen-Z activist who absolutely owned them (watch in full). My eight highlights. /1
She then points out that the main obstacle to her advocacy efforts on behalf of youth is Facebook’s $14,600,000 spent on lobbying against them which of course the other panelists benefit yet try to duck and suggest their principles are behind them not Facebook’s cash. /2
The Gen-Z advocate, Ava Smithing, who I had never heard of until this panel, likely was energized by offensive claims by the Facebook fronts like, “I can tell you these platforms are trying their best.” /3
Or Chamber of Progress, funded by Google and Facebook, suggesting Facebook is in the business of curating and using algorithms to “ensure high quality information” surfaces. Facebook is literally blocking news in a major nation right now and suppressing it globally. /4
Hysterical hyperbolic bluff moment were the multiple times when Facebook’s advocate at Chamber of Progress went out over her skis to threaten Facebook would just close shop for under 18 and so you’ll lose your platforms, kiddos, [if you don’t stop whining to regulators]… /5
After Smithing explained how kids don’t have the agency to just delete the Facebook app, there was another seemingly condescending pat on the back for Gen Z or millennials or whatever you call yourselves. /6
it’s important for bipartisan state AGs like @SeanReyesUT, @AGRobBonta, @NewYorkStateAG to know orgs funded by Facebook and Google like NetChoice and Chamber of Progress are publicly calling them out as not caring about child safety but trying to cover up their own failures. /7
And Facebook’s friends really don’t like the addiction comparison to big tobacco. Mr NetChoice has a bizarre recollection of tobacco settlements with state AGs which last I checked cost Billions with a B, outlawed targeting children and funded major health advocacy efforts. /8
On a related topic, just listened to a brilliant Daily from yesterday where @natashanyt @mikiebarb walk through the lawsuits and big tobacco analogy. 🙏 /9 nytimes.com/2023/11/15/pod…

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More from @jason_kint

Nov 7
Posting a few exchanges that stood out to me at the Facebook/Instagram whistleblower hearing this morning before a packed bipartisan Senate sbcmte. Establishing knowledge by Sandberg and Zuckerberg will be key to lawsuit filed by state attorneys general. /1
This exchange blew me away and I consider must-watch until the end. The emotion was raw to me knowing the effects of the platform that have gone unaddressed. /2
Senator Hawley is good at tech accountability particularly linking competition and market power issues to data and consumer abuses. This is smart and intersects with FTC antitrust lawsuit. If Facebook and Instagram had to compete with each other, the world would be different. /3
Read 7 tweets
Nov 7
As I was walking in, I overheard Senate Blumenthal tell a large press group in hallway we will “hear BOMBSHELL testimony about the witness sounding the alarm directly to Mark Zuckerberg.”
As I was walking in, I overheard Senate Blumenthal tell a large press group in hallway we will “hear BOMBSHELL testimony about the witness sounding the alarm directly to Mark Zuckerberg.” A ton of young adults in the gallery by the way.
Nearly entire subcommittee is here (all Republicans plus Sen Graham). Clearly a very bipartisan concern as Sen Blumenthal notes Instagram’s Adam Mosseri was aware of rate of *promotion* of suicide content to children which Sen Hawley describes as “every parent’s nightmare.” /3
Read 14 tweets
Nov 2
USA v Google. Incoming - Justice Dept just posted 14 more exhibits. This includes the "CY" (aka "Code Yellow") to scramble the jets across leadership to hit OKRs (aka Objectives and Key Results). tl;dr... G was very behind and concerned in Q1 2019. /1 Image
This is the full thread when the actual "Code Yellow" was called at Google to squeeze more milk from the search cow. /2 Image
And this is the pat on the back thread for the monetization team who saved the day. The failures of the core search team to deliver their growth causes a lot of reflection. Are we too close to the money??? /3 Image
Read 5 tweets
Nov 2
USA v Google. Incoming - Justice Dept just posted 15 more exhibits - and more damning, very clear why they wanted to keep sealed.
Google exec seems to admit in this internal deck its core business is "tracking" users ...aka "surveillance." It is "the source of Google's magic." /1 Image
To that point, brace. We finally have Apple's strategy deck from Eddy Cue's testimony. Here are a few highlights as Apple was planning to embrace consumer privacy putting limits on tracking (disclosure - we were engaged with apple at w3c as it thoughtfully worked on this). /2 Image
This is the timeline in the front of the deck. Recognize this pre-dates Facebook's leaking much of our personal data to the globe, $5B in SEC/FTC fines, YouTube's privacy settlements, millions in EU fines, etc etc. So they thought this was bad in 2013. Yikes. /3 Image
Read 17 tweets
Oct 31
USA v Google. Justice Dept posted 22 rich exhibits overnight. I see little coverage. If your interests include tech, media or public policy, I strongly recommend you take a look. Super helpful context seeing full docs, some newly redacted.
Some highlights from me not to miss. /1
These are the key paragraphs of (threat) letter revealed yesterday from Google to Microsoft when it found out MSFT would make its search engine the default in its new browser. Google's statements on power of defaults vs user choice undermine much of its defense to date. /2
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On the "power of defaults," there was an internal Google deck reviewed by Google Chief Economist Hal Varian shown in first day of trial during his testimony that had a lot of redacted slides. They're now being unsealed. You can see why Google fought to keep them sealed. /3 Image
Read 16 tweets
Oct 30
USA v Google. Shocker! DOJ just posted late Friday and Saturday several exhibits and sensitive emails. It includes a 126 slide A to Z on the work of the “Ads Quality” team. I reviewed every slide and it very much breaks down a cash cow at work. I’ll share a few highlights. /1  Image
We heard about this weeks ago in evidence but the Ads Quality team has major “knobs” and “levers” which can determine participants in auctions and the prices that win: 1) quality based bidding (BDD) 2) threshold tuning 3) reserve prices and 4) landing page quality (LPQ). /2 Image
Pretty clear why Google didn’t want this deck shared. If we do X then we change Y (revenue, return on investment, click thru rate)… the “shift of ad mix (eg less eBay) is certainly interesting to see in writing. /3 Image
Read 16 tweets

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