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Shelley McKinley Contributor Share on Twitter Shelley McKinley is chief legal officer at GitHub, home to more than 100 million software developers. Last week marked the first time the U.S. Supreme Court reviewed Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996. In oral arguments in the Gonzalez v. Google case , important questions were raised about platform responsibility and the risk of viral content. As the court grapples with these questions, it is an opportunity to reflect on why 230 was created in the first place, how it fosters innovation and what we all stand to lose if the protections embedded within 230 are narrowed. Nicknamed the “26 words that created the internet” by Jeff Kosseff, Section 230 established a liability shield for platforms that host third-party content. In the nascent days of the internet, 230 created favorable legal conditions for startups and entrepreneurs to flourish, cementing the United States as a world leader in software. While tod...

It’s Friday (or should I say, Fri-yay .) You’ve made it. Give yourself a pat on the back — and then go read the rest of this issue of Week in Review, TechCrunch’s newsletter summing up the past seven days in tech ( sign up here to get it directly in your inbox every Saturday). I’ll continue to be your WiR emcee for the next few weeks until Greg returns from parental leave. Goodness knows I lack his wit, but I’ll try to make up for it in pith. Go easy on me, please. First things first, I’m contractually obligated (not really… but maybe actually?) to highlight TechCrunch’s upcoming events this calendar year. TechCrunch Live is making a special (virtual) trip to Boston on February 27 for City Spotlight: Boston , and it’ll be completely free. That’s right — free! No excuses for skipping out on this one. Beyond City Spotlight, TC will be back in Boston in April for Early Stage , which will feature expert-led sessions about growing an — you guessed it — early-stage company. Last but not l...

Welcome to Startups Weekly, a nuanced take on this week’s startup news and trends by Senior Reporter and Equity co-host Natasha Mascarenhas. To get this in your inbox, subscribe  here . First off, hello to all the new Startups Weekly subscribers who joined us after last week’s newsletter. I’m glad we all still resonate with a comeback story. Second, here are some basics on what to expect.  I start off most of these newsletters with a mini-essay on what is top of mind to me, sometimes pointing toward one of my longer-form pieces from the week or just to share some extra thoughts at the end of the news cycle. Then I jump into three themes that stand out from the week, with extra reading for those that want to dig in more. I end with notes to know from around the tech blogosphere, TC events and, if you look closely enough, personal anecdotes that often have to do with coffee and food. Ok, now onto the aforementioned essay!  It all started with a sound. More specifical...

HMD Global , the Finnish phonemaker and inheritor of the Nokia mobile phone brand, has revealed plans to transition some of its manufacturing to Europe. The company said the move is designed to meet a “surge in customer demand” for locally-produced devices, due in part to security and sustainability concerns among both its corporate and consumer users. The announcement, which was timed to coincide with the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2023 industry event in Barcelona, comes four years after HMD Global revealed it was moving its data centers to Europe to satisfy European Union (EU) data regulations such as GDPR . Moving manufacturing there, it seems, is a natural next-step. “We already have our data centers in Europe — more specifically we have our data centers in Finland, to ensure the security of our devices,” HMD Global chief marketing officer Lars Silberbauer said in a press briefing earlier this week. “By starting this journey to bring manufacturing to Europe, we want to ensure...

When the crypto world was at its latest peak, celebrities quickly joined the gold rush. Tom Brady started a buzzy NFT business for athletes and entertainers with backing from a16z and Kleiner Perkins, among others. Reese Witherspoon said crypto is here to stay, encouraging “more women to be a part of the conversation.” And Paris Hilton, a longtime crypto enthusiast, reportedly named two of her newest pets “Crypto Hilton” and “Ether Reum.” As crypto has sputtered and struggled in recent months, the spotlight is now on AI. Will celebrities follow venture’s newest hype train? Buzzy products spun out from OpenAI, such as ChatGPT and GPT-3, are helping to land billions in VC interest. But core differences between AI and crypto may mean that influencers turned venture capitalists may not be as eager to jump. But does AI even need celebrities touting its many applications? Will AI receive the same celebrity-fueled hype as crypto once did? It’s complicated by Natasha Mascarenhas origi...

Wisk Aero and Archer Aviation will be entering mediation for a second time at the end of March, nearly two years after the rivals commenced a bitter court battle over Wisk’s allegations that the newer air taxi entrant stole trade secrets, TechCrunch has exclusively learned. “We remain open to a potential resolution of the case but strongly believe Wisk’s claims are without merit,” an Archer spokesperson said regarding the mediation. TechCrunch reached out to Wisk for comment and will update the story if they respond. The two companies entered mediation the first time at some point prior to October 25 last year. According to a transcript of an October 25 Zoom call between the parties’ lawyers and the judge assigned to trade secret suits, an attorney representing Wisk said the companies had conducted a mediation but that it was unsuccessful. Wisk attorney Yuri Kapgan told the court that despite the previous failure, Wisk was not opposed to another settlement conference or private med...

Ford has extended a production shutdown of its all-electric Ford Lightning pickup truck by another week. Ford initially paused production and shipments of the Ford Lightning on February due to a potential battery issue and a day after a battery fire. Ford and its battery cell manufacturing partner SK have identified the problem, the automaker told TechCrunch. Ford said in a statement that it agrees with SK’s recommended changes in its equipment and processes for cell production lines. “SK has started building battery cells again in Commerce, Georgia,” Ford said in a statement emailed to TechCrunch. “It will take SK time to ensure they are back to building high-quality cells and to deliver them to the Lightning production line. Ford’s Rouge Electric Vehicle Center will suspend production through the end of next week, and we’ll continue to provide updates.” The company confirmed that during a standard Lightning pre-delivery quality check, one vehicle displayed a battery issue and ca...