Civic – Page 26 of 59

Senator Cantwell wants 5G spectrum auction to fund rural broadband expansion

Several U.S. Senators, led by Washington’s Maria Cantwell, want the proceeds from an upcoming spectrum auction to go toward bridging… Read More

Proposed tax seeks $121M a year from Amazon, Microsoft and other big Seattle-area companies to address homelessness

Washington state lawmakers are considering a new regional tax that would raise an estimated $121 million a year from some… Read More

Palestinian activists and Microsoft employees demand company cut ties with AnyVision, citing civil rights violations

Activists are planning a demonstration at Microsoft’s Redmond, Wash., campus Wednesday to protest the company’s relationship with Israeli security firm… Read More

Washington state considers legislation that would protect gaming apps from gambling lawsuits

Washington lawmakers are debating legislation that would shield many of the state’s smartphone game companies from class-action gambling lawsuits. Several… Read More

Melinda Gates’ nonprofit launches $50M initiative to increase representation of women in tech hubs

Melinda Gates is launching another initiative to turn the tide for women in tech. Pivotal Ventures, a Seattle-based philanthropic group… Read More

Supreme Court lifts ban on Trump’s ‘public charge’ policy, making it harder for immigrants to qualify for green cards

The Trump administration is allowed to implement a rule that makes it difficult for immigrants who use public benefits to… Read More

Hundreds of Amazon employees protest company PR policy by speaking out about climate change

Amazon employees are responding to threats of termination for their climate advocacy by intentionally violating the company’s corporate communications policy.… Read More

‘Think more, share less’: Fake news researchers offer tips to avoid online manipulation

There has been a robust debate over disinformation online since the 2016 U.S. presidential election showed the world how social… Read More

Washington state wants to regulate artificial intelligence, as Microsoft lobbies for new rules

Washington state could become a pioneer in regulating artificial intelligence if lawmakers and Microsoft get their way. A series of… Read More

Amazon asks judge to block Microsoft from working on JEDI cloud contract while court considers bias question

Amazon’s crusade to overturn the Department of Defense’s award of a lucrative cloud contract to rival Microsoft inched forward this… Read More

Mobile voting will be available to 1.2M Seattle area voters in upcoming King County election

Mobile voting is coming to the Seattle region, thanks in part to two homegrown companies. A partnership of local government… Read More

Microsoft President Brad Smith calls for AI regulation at Davos

Microsoft President Brad Smith said Tuesday that the time to regulate artificial intelligence is now, speaking at the annual gathering… Read More

States claim Trump’s new firearm rules will allow spread of 3D printed gun blueprints online

Washington state plans to sue the federal government over a proposed change that Attorney General Bob Ferguson warns will lead… Read More

Microsoft, Reddit, Twitter, others urge federal court to block Trump’s ‘public charge’ immigration rule

Companies across the country are trying to convince a federal judge that a new change to the U.S. immigration system… Read More

Washington state AG accuses feds of trying to ‘undermine’ states in T-Mobile-Sprint lawsuit

The attorney general of T-Mobile’s home state, Washington, is taking aim at the federal government as a multi-state lawsuit challenging… Read More

Microsoft adds $250 million to Seattle housing pledge, bringing total commitment to $750M

Microsoft is increasing its spending on affordable housing and homelessness philanthropy in the Seattle area by 50 percent. The company… Read More

Washington state lawmakers debut legislation for consumer privacy and facial recognition

Washington state legislators introduced two draft bills on Monday intended to regulate personal consumer data privacy and the use of… Read More

Does Amazon pay enough in taxes? Source says local tax bill was $297M last year

Amazon paid nearly $300 million in state and local taxes in 2018, according to a source inside the company with… Read More

Emboldened by election day victory, new Seattle City Council launches next challenge to Amazon

Just two weeks into 2020, the new Seattle City Council is already making good on its promise to take on… Read More

Amazon confirms Ring fired employees for attempting to access customer video data

Amazon confirmed Thursday that its subsidiary Ring fired employees for attempting to access customer video data beyond the scope of… Read More

Bernie Sanders enlists Amazon employee activists in climate change campaign

Sen. Bernie Sanders and employee activists have been thorns in Amazon’s side over the past year as they repeatedly call… Read More

FTC chair aims to resolve Big Tech antitrust probes this year, ending investigations or taking action

The last major antitrust case that the federal government brought against a technology company lasted many years, entrenching Microsoft in… Read More

Trump administration’s new AI principles seek to limit regulatory ‘overreach’ to promote innovation

The Trump administration is proposing a new set of principles for federal agencies to follow when creating regulations for artificial… Read More

Amazon’s Ring to let customers opt out of receiving police video requests

Ring, the Amazon-owned home security and video doorbell company, will update its app to let customers opt out of receiving… Read More

A new era for data privacy: How California’s law is impacting companies in Seattle and beyond

California’s new data privacy law took effect Jan. 1, marking the first time many American tech companies must provide users… Read More

Bill Gates rings in 2020 with a call for higher taxes on the rich to help address wealth gap

Bill Gates weighed in on the subject of taxes at various times throughout 2019. Should he be paying more? How… Read More

Snopes on the state of news, Facebook and the 2020 election: ‘It’s going to be a mess’

Disinformation campaigns are expected to be just as pervasive in 2020 as they were in the 2016 presidential election, and… Read More

A Tech Cold War? Microsoft policy leaders predict the future, preparing for a wild decade ahead

It’s only been a few weeks since Microsoft President Brad Smith completed his book tour, in which he reflected on… Read More

Task force urges Washington state leaders to prepare for tech-driven workforce changes

A task force of legislators, and business and labor leaders, is urging Washington state’s government to do more to prepare… Read More

Blokable expands to California in new chapter for the innovative multi-family housing developer

After building its foundation in Washington state, Blokable is scaling in California. The Seattle startup that takes a novel approach… Read More