Respond to prefers-color-scheme dark in app web views

Follow section front redirects in Spectrum

Enable NLP source in PCS for load testing

Switch off the News Alerts Survey Widget when we have enough responses

Poll to determine if new LUF updates are available

Allows the winning A/B test variant to be turned on without Spectrum deployment

Show infinite scrolling sections in Assembler MultiView

Show option for NLP article summaries in Action Bar

A general feature flag for Recipe Features that aren't yet released

Feature flag for media team features that aren't yet released

Use new Orca video player for preroll plugin in Spectrum

Show the snow tracker (instead of the heat tracker) on Spectrum

Biden confronts campus protests; Trump hedges on accepting election results

Americans are more likely to oppose than support campus protests

The grinding familiarity of the jocks-vs.-hippies proxy fight

The New York Times, alone in its outrage over access to Biden

The ‘Access Hollywood’ video cemented Trump’s air of invincibility

Wait, what is Stephen A. Smith talking about? Find out with our quiz.

The new cure-all for vacation excess: the IV drip 

What’s the best bus to New York? We tested 5 for comfort and value.

Adaptive equipment is making national parks more inclusive

Strangers help Sesame Street puppeteer after heirloom necklace was stolen

Teen grabs wheel when driver passes out and school bus veers into traffic

Cat climbed into Amazon return box, found alive 630 miles away

In photos: At least 39 dead as historic flooding hits southern Brazil

Conservatives don't get why Kristi Noem killed her dog

Rooftop rescue of flood victims in Brazil

The Post endorses April McClain Delaney and Tom Royals for Maryland’s 6th District

On Press Freedom Day, little to celebrate for Hong Kong’s journalists

Young Georgians want to be part of Europe. Their government is in the way.

Trump Media auditor charged by SEC with ‘massive fraud’

Google’s empire is massive. A judge will soon rule if it’s a monopoly.

Five tech products we actually like

Ask Amy: My boyfriend just confessed he’s almost $20,000 in debt

Miss Manners: Is it inappropriate to reach out to old girlfriends?

Carolyn Hax: Longtime friend won’t forgive being last-minute canceled for a guy

Confident of victory over Ukraine, Russia exhibits Western war trophies

Northern Gaza is in ‘full-blown famine,’ World Food Program leader says

Two women are seeking Mexico’s presidency. But the race is about a man.

In a pinch, the Nationals finally find some offense

The Capitals, a team in transition, know what they want this offseason

Is Pastis as good as our food critic thought? He sent spies to find out.

Big Tech news and how to take control of your data and devices

See more coverage in your recommendations

Technology

Tips delivered to your inbox twice weekly

The Tech Friend newsletter

Business and Tech alerts

Get the weekly Campaign Moment newsletter

Set alerts for major election developments

Election 2024

The Campaign Moment newsletter

Politics alerts

Welcome to The Technology 202. If you only read one thing today, make it The Post’s <a href="https://s2.washingtonpost.com/398838c/6422d089f19a510b0427d867/60ff0f119bbc0f0fbe6fbd53/8/65/6422d089f19a510b0427d867">nine-part series</a> examining the rise of the AR-15.

Below: The FTC is keeping AI in its crosshairs, and Amazon must face consumer claims about its pricing practices. First:

Chip Somodevilla

Scrutiny over TikTok’s purported national security risks is soaring in Washington, even after its CEO Shou Zi Chew sought to assuage concerns at a congressional hearing last week.&nbsp;

The contentious session has added steam to a trio of congressional proposals that are vying to head off the perceived threat.

But competing visions over the Biden administration’s role in the plans and a lack of consensus on the bills means there's no clear path unifying lawmakers, beyond their shared ire at TikTok.

As I <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2023/03/28/tiktok-biden-ban-china-congress/?itid=ap_jeffstein">report</a> with my colleagues Jeff Stein and Taylor Lorenz this morning, the three measures are seeking “to become the primary vehicle for Washington’s animus toward TikTok, but none have developed a clear runway yet.” They are:&nbsp;

The RESTRICT Act, led by Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and John Thune (R-S.D), would give the Commerce Department more leeway to restrict or ban apps linked to countries deemed as foreign adversaries, like China. The broader approach could help any eventual ban withstand legal scrutiny, but it’s facing pushback from some conservative lawmakers concerned about expanding executive power.

The DATA Act, led by Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Tex.), explicitly calls out TikTok and would require the White House to report to Congress whether “reasonable grounds exist” for banning the app and to carry it out if so. While the bill advanced out of committee earlier this month, Democrats <a href="https://democrats-foreignaffairs.house.gov/2023/3/meeks-issues-statement-on-opposition-to-bill-banning-tiktok-other-chinese-owned-companies">panned the move</a>, accusing Republicans of rushing the process and risking national security and free expression in the process.

The ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act, led by Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), which also name-checks TikTok and seeks to force ByteDance to either sell off TikTok or face a ban against the app. While the bill has bipartisan backing, it’s so far garnered little support from Senate Democrats.&nbsp;

The RESTRICT Act has broad bipartisan support in the Senate, making it a top contender on Capitol Hill, but it’s facing political head winds in the House.&nbsp;

Republicans on the House Financial Services Committee came out against the bill Thursday, calling it a “smokescreen for the largest expansion of executive power” in decades.

House Energy and Commerce Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), whose panel hauled in the TikTok chief, supports banning TikTok but has yet to endorse any specific bill targeting the company over U.S. national security, according to committee aides, who spoke on the condition of anonymity last week to preview the hearing.&nbsp;

McMorris Rodgers is concerned about leaving too much discretion up to the White House to decide whether to act on risks posed by TikTok and other apps, the aides said, one of the factors she is discussing with McCarthy and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.).

Proponents of the Warner-Thune proposal are pushing to build support for it in the House by arguing that it would offer a “holistic” approach to countering apps linked to foreign adversaries, creating protections for not just TikTok but also “the TikTok of the future,” according to a Senate aide familiar with the process who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the negotiations.&nbsp;

Warner said in a statement, the RESTRICT Act “doesn’t single out any one app” and “sets up a comprehensive, orderly, risk-based, process for evaluating national security threats.”&nbsp;

The next steps for the legislation, which was referred to the Senate Commerce Committee, appear unclear.&nbsp;

Punchbowl News <a href="https://punchbowl.news/archive/32423-punchbowl-news-am/">reported Friday</a> that the panel is “expected” to mark up the Warner-Thune proposal. A spokeswoman for the committee declined to comment on the veracity of the report.

But Senate Republicans aides, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the plans, said they have not received any indication that the panel plans to mark up the bill and that negotiations over potential TikTok legislation are still “preliminary,” with no clear consensus emerging yet.&nbsp;

The aides said they are aware of the concerns among some Republicans around potential executive overreach and are reviewing them.

House lawmakers, meanwhile, are seizing the spotlight on TikTok to renew calls for broader data privacy protections across the tech sector.&nbsp;

But McMorris Rodgers believes separate action targeting TikTok in addition to a federal privacy bill is needed to fully mitigate the app’s risks, committee aides said.

FTC keeping eyes open on competition in AI field

Al Drago

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is keeping a watchful eye on the competitive landscape for artificial intelligence technologies, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-27/ftc-reviewing-competition-deception-in-artificial-intelligence">Leah Nylen reports for Bloomberg News</a>, citing remarks from FTC Chair Lina Khan at an event on Monday.

The consumer protection agency, in particular, is focused on ensuring advancements in AI are not led by just large tech giants, Khan said, speaking at a joint summit with the Justice Department.

Khan added that companies with AI offerings should ensure they are not “overselling or overstating” what their product offerings are capable of, Nylen writes.&nbsp;

The FTC recently warned companies of the consequences of pushing out AI products with misleading claims, as The Technology 202 <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/02/28/chatgpt-hype-soars-ftc-warns-silicon-valley-not-oversell-its-ai/">reported last month</a>.&nbsp;

“Marketers should know that — for FTC enforcement purposes — false or unsubstantiated claims about a product’s efficacy are our bread and butter,” FTC attorney Michael Atleson said in a Feb. 27 <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2023/02/keep-your-ai-claims-check?utm_source=govdelivery">blog post</a>.

The remarks come as the popularity of AI tools has skyrocketed in recent months. While many tout their benefits and use cases, some have called out instances where such tools have been <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/03/14/snapchat-myai/">launched prematurely</a> or used <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/03/05/ai-voice-scam/">for more nefarious purposes</a>.&nbsp;

Musk says only paid Twitter subscribers will get boost to main feed

Jim Watson

Twitter owner Elon Musk on Monday night <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1640502698549075972">tweeted</a> that only accounts verified through the Twitter Blue subscription service will be eligible to be recommended in the site’s “For You” page.

In order for users to get more visibility on the platform, Musk’s tweet suggests, they will have to pay for a Twitter Blue subscription, which costs $8 per month on the web and $11 per month on a mobile device, <a href="https://help.twitter.com/en/using-twitter/twitter-blue#tbpricing-bycountry">according to Twitter’s Help Center</a>.

The Twitter CEO in the tweet said the decision “is the only realistic way to address advanced AI bot swarms taking over. It is otherwise a hopeless losing battle.”

He added that voting in Twitter polls will “also require verification for the same reason.” He has often used polls to make major decisions about the platform, including whether he should <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/12/19/musk-twitter-ceo-poll/">resign from his post</a> as head of the company, though he did not abide by the results of that poll.

It was not immediately clear if Musk’s tweet meant nonpaying users would be omitted from the “For You” timeline entirely.

Our colleagues Rachel Lerman and Rachel Pannett <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/03/27/twitter-source-code-leak-github/#:~:text=Over%20the%20weekend,the%20acquisition%20price.%E2%80%9D">reported yesterday</a> that Musk this past weekend valued the platform at $20 billion, just under half of what he originally paid to buy it.

Amazon to face consumer antitrust lawsuit following federal ruling

Chris Ratcliffe

A ruling made Friday will force Amazon to face a lawsuit alleging the e-commerce giant artificially increased the cost of third-party realtors’ goods, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/amazon-loses-bid-toss-consumer-antitrust-lawsuit-2023-03-27/">Mike Scarcella reports for Reuters</a>.&nbsp;

The consumer antitrust lawsuit filed by residents of several states in 2020 challenges a company rule which declares that retailers are not allowed to offer lower prices on products sold on a separate platform if they simultaneously sell on Amazon’s platform. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post).&nbsp;

“The ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard Jones in Seattle on Friday came in a prospective antitrust class action that has estimated damages of between $55 billion to $172 billion,” Scarcella writes.&nbsp;

A spokesperson for Amazon declined to comment for the story. The company has previously denied the lawsuit’s claims, arguing the current pricing policy is beneficial for competition.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/us-issuing-new-childcare-guidance-semiconductor-chips-subsidy-program-2023-03-27/" target="_blank">U.S. issuing new childcare guidance for semiconductor chips subsidy program (Reuters)</a>

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/03/28/tiktok-challenges-congress-misinformation/" target="_blank">Congress had a lot to say about TikTok. Much of it was wrong. (Taylor Lorenz)</a>

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/03/28/apple-union-firings/" target="_blank">Apple illegally fired five labor activists, union says (Lauren Kaori Gurley)</a>

<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/27/huawei-says-it-developed-chip-design-tools-despite-us-sanctions.html" target="_blank">Huawei reportedly says it has developed domestic chip design tools despite U.S. sanctions (CNBC)</a>

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/03/27/amazon-layoffs-job-cuts/" target="_blank">Amazon grew relentlessly. Now it’s getting lean. (Caroline O'Donovan)</a>

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/03/27/google-doj-lawsuit-antitrust/" target="_blank">Google seeks dismissal of Justice Dept. lawsuit alleging an ad monopoly (Cat Zakrzewski)</a>

<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-27/first-citizens-to-buy-silicon-valley-bank-after-run-on-lender" target="_blank">First Citizens to buy SVB after biggest failure since 2008 (Bloomberg News)</a>

The House Energy &amp; Commerce Committee’s Communications and Technology Subcommittee <a href="https://energycommerce.house.gov/events/communications-and-technology-hearing-titled-preserving-free-speech-and-reining-in-big-tech-censorship">holds a hearing</a> titled “Preserving Free Speech and Reining in Big Tech Censorship” at 10:30 a.m.

The Free State Foundation holds its <a href="https://freestatefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/March-28-2023-Flyer.pdf">Fifteenth Annual Policy Conference</a> beginning at 8:45 a.m.

The Senate Appropriations Committee’s Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies subcommittee <a href="https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/hearings/a-review-of-the-presidents-fiscal-year-2024-funding-request-for-the-us-department-of-justice">holds a hearing</a> on the White House’s fiscal 2024 budget request for the Department of Justice at 2:30 p.m.

The FCC’s Task Force to Prevent Digital Discrimination will <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/news-events/events/2023/03/task-force-prevent-digital-discrimination-listening-session">hold a listening session</a> in Baltimore at 4:30 p.m.

That’s all for today — thank you so much for joining us! Make sure to tell others to subscribe to&nbsp;<a href="https://s2.washingtonpost.com/34a2dca/613f4bb19d2fda262757cd9a/60ff0f119bbc0f0fbe6fbd53/60/74/613f4bb19d2fda262757cd9a">The </a><a href="https://s2.washingtonpost.com/34a2dca/613f4bb19d2fda262757cd9a/60ff0f119bbc0f0fbe6fbd53/61/74/613f4bb19d2fda262757cd9a">Technology</a><a href="https://s2.washingtonpost.com/34a2dca/613f4bb19d2fda262757cd9a/60ff0f119bbc0f0fbe6fbd53/62/74/613f4bb19d2fda262757cd9a"> </a><a href="https://s2.washingtonpost.com/34a2dca/613f4bb19d2fda262757cd9a/60ff0f119bbc0f0fbe6fbd53/63/74/613f4bb19d2fda262757cd9a">202</a><a href="https://s2.washingtonpost.com/34a2dca/613f4bb19d2fda262757cd9a/60ff0f119bbc0f0fbe6fbd53/64/74/613f4bb19d2fda262757cd9a"> here</a>. Get in touch with tips, feedback or greetings on <a href="https://s2.washingtonpost.com/34a2dcb/613f4bb19d2fda262757cd9a/60ff0f119bbc0f0fbe6fbd53/65/74/613f4bb19d2fda262757cd9a">Twitter</a> or <a href="mailto:cristiano.lima@washpost.com?utm_campaign=wp_the_technology_202&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=newsletter&amp;wpisrc=nl_technology202">email</a>.&nbsp;

Lehigh University, BA in Political Science

Lehigh University, MA in Political Science

 Cristiano Lima-Strong is a tech policy reporter and author of The Washington Post's Technology 202 newsletter, focusing on the intersection of tech, politics and policy. His coverage focuses on privacy and children’s online safety. He previously served as a senior web producer, breaking news reporter and tech policy reporter for Politico.

Cristiano Lima-Strong

George Washington University, BBA in business analytics

Georgetown University, MS in business analytics

David DiMolfetta researches The Cybersecurity 202 and The Technology 202, the morning newsletters at The Washington Post keeping readers up to date on cybersecurity and technology policy.

The state of play on TikTok legislation

The state of play on TikTok legislation