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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senate Republicans accused Silicon Valley tech giants of censorship during a hearing Wednesday intended to examine whether a provision in the Communications Decency Act gives internet companies too much protection. Section 230 has become controversial in recent years because it provides tech companies with broad legal immunity for what their users post...
South Bay lawyer’s inside role in the Google sexual misconduct settlement
Announcement of a $310 million settlement over Google’s treatment of sexual misconduct allegations against executives took on added significance for the South Bay’s Ann Ravel because it came the same day U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg lay in state. Ravel, the first woman named Santa Clara County counsel in 1998, is a longtime...
After COVID-19, artificial intelligence is next challenge facing US jobseekers, lawmakers told
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Those looking for employment in the post-coronavirus job market may face additional challenges due to the emergence of artificial intelligence, according to witnesses and lawmakers who spoke at a Thursday House Budget Committee hearing. “As the economy eventually recovers, workers may find it difficult to get their jobs back as companies replace...
San Jose activists turn to digital media to keep public engaged
After police violence in San Jose erupted during protests over Minneapolis cops killing George Floyd, hundreds of speakers poured into online government meetings to air their grievances. In the era of Zoom and COVID-19, Mary Jessie Celestin, a 21-year-old activist, is building a connective digital platform for budding activists she says is just as important...
Websites become new focus of disability rights in age of COVID-19
As a blind man, Guillermo Robles successfully sued Domino’s Pizza because the chain failed to build a website that was as accessible to him as its brick-and-mortar restaurants. Now as COVID-19 pushes more businesses, communication and emergency services online, accessibility law experts say the sooner websites comply with disability guidelines — such as providing audio...
Santa Clara County takes steps to connect older adults to technology
Santa Clara County leaders this week set in motion a plan to connect older adults to technology, a need that has become more urgent since widespread shelter-in-place orders went into effect. Concerns about the impact of social isolation have grown as the majority of senior services have transitioned online. The increasing use of telehealth and...
Santa Clara County pledges another $7.1 million to get students online
A lack of access to technology and the internet meant Sylvandale Middle School teacher Brenna Rodriguez lost communication with 80% of her students when COVID-19 shuttered schools in March. Teaching English and English Language Development within the Eastside’s Franklin-McKinley School District since 2008, Rodriguez said last year was the first time each of her students...
San Jose, AT&T invest in free internet access for students
For many, the pressure to work and attend school remotely during the coronavirus pandemic has amplified Silicon Valley’s digital divide. But a new plan announced Monday by Mayor Sam Liccardo and AT&T will bring 11,000 wireless internet hotspots and 4G LTE data plans to K-12 students and low-income households lacking internet connection. “It is important...
Ro Khanna says outdated IT hurt government’s COVID-19 response efforts
WASHINGTON D.C. — One Silicon Valley legislator said the federal government urgently needs to update its information technology systems — especially as it deals with the COVID-19 crisis. “Two years ago, I introduced and passed the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act to modernize federal websites and digitize government processes,” Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Fremont, told...
San Jose hires a new innovation chief to bridge digital divide
Growing up in Texas near the border with Mexico and close to large Black and Latinx populations gave San Jose’s new Chief Innovation Officer Jordan Sun a very diverse image of America. Now he is working in one of the country’s most diverse cities — San Jose — as Mayor Sam Liccardo’s new innovation chief....