Mark Warner

Mark Warner @MarkWarner

Back in 2001, the FCC recognized that interoperability was key to competition and required then-dominant AOL to make its instant messaging service compatible with its competitors. https://t.co/vYMj5ShW63 — PolitiTweet.org

Mark Warner @MarkWarner

I promised plain English, so let me give you an example: E-mail is an interoperable service built on open standards. Can you imagine if you were only able to email people with the same email provider? Or if you had to pay a $10/month to email outside your provider? — PolitiTweet.org

Mark Warner @MarkWarner

So if we really want competition between different providers, we need to go beyond portability and ensure interoperability between different platforms — for messages, cat videos, and the many other types of online content. — PolitiTweet.org

Mark Warner @MarkWarner

But that also means portability isn't enough if there's nobody to share content or communicate with on a new network or service. — PolitiTweet.org

Mark Warner @MarkWarner

Social media platforms are governed by a concept called network effects: it means a platform is more valuable — to both the operator and users — the more people are on it. — PolitiTweet.org

Mark Warner @MarkWarner

Second, for data portability to really make a difference, we need to break down the anti-competitive barriers that companies put up to limit their competitors from interacting with their platforms. This is the idea behind interoperability, the open exchange of information. — PolitiTweet.org

Mark Warner @MarkWarner

We live in an era where personalization and predictive analytics make the difference between a successful, engaging app and a dull, frustrating app. So users’ ability to port their data – to, in effect, vote with their wallets – can catalyze competition. — PolitiTweet.org

Mark Warner @MarkWarner

Is the internet more complicated? Maybe, but with machine-readable formats like CSV, XML, and JSON, the technology is already there. The primary barrier is that companies don’t want to ease restrictions that protect their market dominance. — PolitiTweet.org

Mark Warner @MarkWarner

But sure enough, when Congress mandated local number portability, it drove companies to compete for their customers' business, and consumers benefitted as a result. — PolitiTweet.org

Mark Warner @MarkWarner

For years, people were reluctant to change phone providers because they didn’t want to lose their number — putting the burden on consumers to circulate new contact info, potentially missing calls from contacts who still had their old number. It was a major switching cost. — PolitiTweet.org

Mark Warner @MarkWarner

This would return control of data to users and create new opportunities for competition. We know this because we’ve done it before with phone numbers. — PolitiTweet.org

Mark Warner @MarkWarner

First, consumers ought to have the ability to switch social media platforms and other online services without having to start from scratch. This idea of data portability would allow you to take all your data ~ including your cat videos ~ and move it to a different service. — PolitiTweet.org

Mark Warner @MarkWarner

The ACCESS Act has three main components that would apply to the largest tech platforms: 1. Portability 2. Interoperability 3. Delegatability Here’s what that means in plain English: — PolitiTweet.org

Mark Warner @MarkWarner

To accomplish this, we’ve introduced a bill called the ACCESS Act, which stands for the Augmenting Compatibility and Competition by Enabling Service Switching Act (thank you, bill-naming interns). — PolitiTweet.org

Mark Warner @MarkWarner

If we want to change that, we need to remove the current barriers to consumer choice and put Americans back in control of their data and their communications. — PolitiTweet.org

Mark Warner @MarkWarner

American consumers are rightfully growing frustrated with the fact that you have to effectively sign over your private data, in order to use an internet that is mediated largely via a handful of platforms that have come to dominate it. — PolitiTweet.org

Mark Warner @MarkWarner

For many tech companies, their most valuable asset is Americans’ private data. As a result, the task of defending your online privacy is pretty daunting. Many companies employ byzantine, frequently-changing privacy settings that are often specifically designed against users. — PolitiTweet.org

Mark Warner @MarkWarner

This is especially true in the digital marketplace, where the unchecked rise of a few dominant tech platforms has undermined users’ ability to meaningfully control their online lives. — PolitiTweet.org

Mark Warner @MarkWarner

This legislation is rooted in the idea that competition in the private sector is key to America’s economic success. Without it, consumer choice suffers, technological innovation suffers, and America’s global competitiveness suffers. — PolitiTweet.org

Mark Warner @MarkWarner

This is something I’ve been working on with @HawleyMO and @SenBlumenthal for a while. Today I’m excited to introduce legislation that will put consumers back in the driver’s seat when it comes to digital markets that are dominated by big tech platforms. — PolitiTweet.org

Mark Warner @MarkWarner

RT @vadogwoodnews: Senator @MarkWarner and Senator @TimKaine have introduced legislation that aims to make donations to a fund for the fami… — PolitiTweet.org

Mark Warner @MarkWarner

Our Kurdish allies are still in danger, thanks to this President’s betrayal and the violence that has resulted. Today I introduced legislation that will make visas available to the translators and other Syrian Kurds who served alongside U.S. forces in the fight against ISIS. — PolitiTweet.org

Mark Warner @MarkWarner

Alan Diamonstein was a powerful force in Virginia, national politics and his community. I was proud to call him an adviser and a mentor, but most importantly – my dear friend. He was a major figure in making our Commonwealth a more inclusive, forward-looking and fairer place. — PolitiTweet.org

Mark Warner @MarkWarner

Tremendously saddened to learn of the passing of Elijah Cummings. This is a loss for Baltimore, Congress, and the country. — PolitiTweet.org

Mark Warner @MarkWarner

I will be introducing legislation authorizing visas for Kurdish translators who put themselves in harm’s way serving alongside U.S. troops in Syria. — PolitiTweet.org

Mark Warner @MarkWarner

Whatever the President wants you to believe, his actions have caused tremendous damage and human suffering on the ground in northern Syria. The only winner here is Vladimir Putin. — PolitiTweet.org

Mark Warner @MarkWarner

The Trump administration’s push to use taxpayer dollars on junk insurance plans that don’t #ProtectPreexistingConditions is just the latest attempt to sabotage our health care system. @SenateDems are forcing a vote to stop this effort. — PolitiTweet.org

Mark Warner @MarkWarner

RT @chesapeakebay: @MarkWarner Thank you for sharing @MarkWarner! While we’re losing Fox, we will continue our education programs elsewhere… — PolitiTweet.org

Mark Warner @MarkWarner

What’s happening on Fox Island is just crazy. Climate change and sea-level rise are an everyday reality for folks in the Chesapeake Bay region, and we’re running out of time to do something about it. — PolitiTweet.org

Mark Warner @MarkWarner

The House just passed the bipartisan Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which I’m proud to sponsor in the Senate with @MarcoRubio. The Senate should do the same ASAP. Let’s make something clear to Beijing: the American people #StandWithHongKong — PolitiTweet.org