Big Tech and Antitrust

Description

A panel of antitrust experts will discuss social and political concerns over speech, democracy, and power in connection with Big Tech.

About this Event

The debate over “Big Tech” and antitrust has intensified. On one side are those who consider certain Big Tech companies monopiles that reduce competition and exploit their users’ data. On the other side are those who believe that competition in the technology market is flourishing, particularly when considering a worldwide market, and that Big Tech empowers its consumers; after all, many users never pay financially for social media use. In addition to these economic considerations, Big Tech has raised a host of social and political concerns over speech, democracy, and power. Is Big Tech suppressing speech? Should it suppress more speech? Does it even matter if private companies “suppress speech”? Does Big Tech have too much control over our elections or none at all? What power does Big Tech wield over our lives if any? Hear the views of antitrust experts as they discuss these issues and more.

Professor Richard A. Epstein (Moderator) is a distinguished law professor who teaches at New York University, where he serves as director of the Classical Liberal Institute, and the University of Chicago. He also serves as the Peter and Kirstin Bedford Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. He teaches courses in administrative law, antitrust, constitutional law, contracts, and more. He has been a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences since 1985. He has edited both the Journal of Legal Studies and the Journal of Law and Economics. Professor Epstein has published numerous articles in leading academic journals and books on a wide range of legal and interdisciplinary subjects.

Jessica Melugin (Panelist) is director of the Center for Technology & Innovation at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Her research focuses on technology issues including antitrust, online privacy, Internet taxation, telecommunications, social media content, and net neutrality regulation. Her writings have appeared in leading publications including The New York Times, Bloomberg Law, National Review, Forbes, and more. Ms. Melugin graduated magna cum laude from Claremont McKenna College with a degree in government and art history. Her honors thesis explored the development of American antitrust law as it pertains to the Microsoft trial.

Asheesh Agarwal (Panelist) is Deputy General Counsel and Internet Policy Counsel at TechFreedom where he examines issues of administrative and antitrust law and policy. Asheesh has served in senior roles in the administrations of President Trump, President Bush, and Governor Pence, including at the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice. At the FTC, Asheesh served as Assistant Director of the Office of Policy Planning, where he helped to lead the Commission's competition advocacy program and an initiative to examine regulatory barriers to the growth of e-commerce. Both in government and in the private sector, Asheesh has litigated numerous high-profile cases and argued a dozen cases in federal appellate courts. Asheesh received his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School, where he graduated with honors and served on the Law Review, and his B.A. from Northwestern University, where he graduated with highest distinction and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Asheesh clerked for Hon. Eugene Siler on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Dr. Hal Singer (Panelist) is an expert in antitrust and regulation. He has researched, published, and testified on competition-related issues in a wide variety of industries, including media, pharmaceuticals, sports, and finance. He has extensive experience providing expert economic and policy advice to regulatory agencies in the United States and Canada, as well as before congressional committees. Dr. Singer is also a Senior Fellow at the George Washington Institute of Public Policy and an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business, where he teaches advanced pricing to MBA candidates. In 2018, the American Antitrust Institute honored Dr. Singer with an antitrust enforcement award for his work in the Lidoderm antitrust litigation. Dr. Singer holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in economics from The Johns Hopkins University as well as a B.S. in Economics from Tulane University.