News and Views from Political Author Steven Hill
By Steven Hill, Project Syndicate, July 16, 2021
The shift to remote work during the pandemic has brought both disturbing developments, like the increased use of surveillance technology, and promising ones, like the de-linking of employment from geographic location. But without new rules of the road, workers overall will be worse off than they were before COVID-19.…
By Steven Hill, Common Dreams, July 16, 2021
Minority rule has metastasized like a cancer and is now pervasive throughout the US political system.
After a strong start with his ambitious Covid relief bill and vaccination rollout, President Joe Biden’s momentum has slowed considerably. Like President Barack Obama before him, he has now hit the buzzsaw of…Republican minority rule.…
By Steven Hill, American Compass, June 3, 2021
Part of the “Lost in the Super Market” panel discussion
Wingham Rowan wants to “remake the modern [labor] market,” while Neil Chilson wants “freedom from [labor] market frictions.” Yet neither seems to understand these markets from the perspective of the many freelancers and so-called “independent” contractors whom they purport to advocate for.…
By Steven Hill, NY Daily News, June 3, 2021
The Board of Elections is taking way too long to tabulate ranked-choice voting results
Election officials in New York City are unnecessarily withholding crucial election results from the public regarding the races for mayor, comptroller, City Council and other offices. Specifically, they have refused to run the ranked-choice voting (RCV) tally for the 800,000 ballots that, as of this past Friday, were in their possession.…
by Steven Hill and Larry Diamond, CalMatters, May 4, 2021
It’s game on for the recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom. The gubernatorial recall in 2003 that struck California like an earthquake seems like ancient history, so here is a quick recap in a bid to help California do it better than the last time.…
By Steven Hill and Stephan Richter, The Globalist, April 7, 2021
Big Tech media present a serious challenge for Western democracies. Tackling them is a worthy mission for the Biden Administration and the EU to work on jointly.
In recent weeks, two remarkable developments took place affecting Big Tech media.…
By Steven Hill, Zocalo Public Square, April 1, 2021
From Australia to Maryland, the news industry is in a fight for Its life against Facebook and Google
From Australia to Maryland, the free press is waging a battle for survival against Facebook and Google. Besides being gushing firehoses of COVID disinformation and QAnon conspiracies, Google and Facebook have been dangerously undermining the financial stability of media outlets all over the world.…
by Steven Hill, Project Syndicate, March 25, 2021
After unveiling two new digital regulations to much fanfare last year, the European Commission already needs to go back to the drawing board. Big Tech’s latest scandals have made clear that the only workable governance model for the digital economy is one that treats the leading platforms as utilities.…
By Steven Hill, International Politics and Society, March 18, 2021
Beyond censorship, Big Tech’s capture of digital ad revenue poses a major threat to the free press. But it could now face a united transatlantic front
At the end of February 2021, two remarkable developments took place. First, Facebook and Google were trying to bully Australia over a new law requiring the Big Tech platforms to share digital advertising revenues with Australian media companies.…
By Steven Hill, International Politics and Society, Feb 12, 2021
Big Tech media platforms are dangerous. But the EU’s proposed competition laws won’t fix it — and could make it worse
The European Union has earned a reputation as the world’s foremost regulator of Big Tech companies. Its latest salvo is the recently proposed Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA).…
By Steven Hill, Mercury News, Jan 27, 2021
Why do so many people, including both former President Donald Trump and new President Joe Biden, keep talking about getting rid of an obscure law called Section 230?
The short answer is that Section 230, part of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, is the legal underpinning for one of the largest and most consequential experiments in American history.…
By Steven Hill, Salon, Nov. 27, 2020
The U.S.’s embarrassing problems with something as basic as voter registration should serve as a wake-up call
Throughout the 2020 U.S. presidential election, the ghosts of 2000, hanging chads and Bush v. Gore were rapping loudly at the door.
For many members of the American public, voting has become a confusing ritual, even if one does not take the latest twist into account — a president who refused to accept that he lost the election.…
By Steven Hill, The Globalist, October 13, 2020
What happens if Trump declares victory on election night, and tries to dispute any “late” uncounted ballots — both in the courts and in the free-for-all of public opinion?
So imagine this Nightmare Scenario: With so many more Biden supporters voting by mail in a close election, it is likely President Trump will be ahead on election night, based on partial returns in a number of battleground states (a scenario that has been called “a red mirage”).…