Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR)

Across U.S. politics, it’s become fashionable to blame nearly all the internet’s ills on one law I co-wrote: Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Everyone from President Donald Trump to some of my Democratic colleagues argue that Section 230 has let major tech platforms moderate too much or too little. Trump’s Federal Communications Commission chairman, Brendan Carr, has already written about his plans to reinterpret the law himself. Many of these claims give Section 230 too much credit.

I urge the Department of Justice (DOJ) to permit Apple and Google to inform their customers and the general public about demands for smartphone app notification records. In the spring of 2022, my office received a tip that government agencies in foreign countries were demanding smartphone “push” notification records from Google and Apple. My staff have been investigating this tip for the past year, which included contacting Apple and Google.

Sens Ron Wyden, (D-OR), John Barrasso (R-WY), and 12 other bipartisan senators called on the Federal Communication Commission to ensure rural and tribal communities in need receive their fair share of federal broadband grants. The members urged FCC to update the National Broadband Map each month, rather than every 6 months, so broadband grants will be awarded based on the most accurate information. The senators noted that many states were unable to challenge the accuracy of the broadband map in time to meaningfully impact how BEAD funds are being distributed.