Facebook, Google hurt local communities, group says

Facebook and Google are hollowing out local communities by serving as vectors for misinformation while hobbling local journalism and collecting taxpayer subsidies, anew paper from progressive think tank the American Economic Liberties Project charges.

The big picture:Both companies cite benefits their platforms offer small businesses as a key defense against critiques of their size and power.

Garofalo recommends remediesincluding more antitrust enforcement at the federal and state levels and an end to preferential treatment by states and localities, either voluntarily or under force of law.

The other side:Facebook and Google both say their platforms help local communities thrive,making that a central plank in their CEOs'testimony before Congresslast month.

What's next:The American Economic Liberties Project, which receives funding from eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, is one of several dozen advocacy groups holding an online event Tuesday in which panelists, including early Facebook investor-turned-critic Roger McNamee, will discuss curbing the power of Big Tech.

Facebook and Apple are fighting an increasingly high stakes battle over user privacy and access to the iOS App Store, deepening a rift between two of the most powerful companies in Silicon Valley.

Why it matters: The two companies, along with Google and Amazon, are being challenged over a range of issues, from abuse of power to violations of privacy to allowing hate and misinformation to flourish. By trading accusations, Facebook and Apple could just be handing more ammo to critics and regulators but at the same time, conflict between these giants could be read as a sign of competitive life and a rebuttal to antitrust charges.

Joe Biden on Monday gave his most forceful counterargument to President Trump on the issue of law and order, arguing in Pittsburgh there would be more violence in America if the president is re-elected.

Why it matters: Democratic lawmakers have sounded the alarm in recent weeks over cost-cutting measures and modifications to mail-processing practices that they fear could delay election mail, disenfranchise voters and delay election results.

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