The Federal Trade Commission has announced a plan to hold up to 20 public hearings between September and January 2019 to assess whether new laws are needed to regulate tech firms. The non-profit 3C has launched to help small businesses access some of those same technology services. 3C will also advocate for policy that does not interfere with the…
Living in Northern Colorado, I don’t pay much attention to Washington, D.C. But recently I watched congressional hearings that unnerved me a bit, and I am concerned that Congress is preparing to inadvertently hurt millions of small businesses including those that employ 1.1 million Coloradans. Since 2010, my company has helped hundreds of Colorado small…
The June 15 Guest Commentary “New European Rules Give U.S. Internet Users True Privacy Choices for the First Time” completely ignores the consequences that sweeping privacy rules like the ones implemented in Europe can have on small businesses, which employ 1.1 million Missourians. Small businesses, like my plumbing company, rely on Facebook, Google, Pinterest, Quickbooks,…
The Trump administration’s privacy, competition and consumer protection cops plan to embark on a cross-country listening tour to gauge how academics and average Web users believe the U.S. government should address digital-age challenges that include the rise of artificial intelligence and the data-collection mishaps that have plagued companies such as Facebook. The effort announced Wednesday…
Technology industry narratives often focus on huge opportunities and risks: disruption, angel investors, unicorns, antitrust, data privacy, and cybersecurity. These narratives are compelling, but they miss an important story: that millions of small businesses are enabled and boosted by digital technology, and that our economy and society are stronger as a result. These are the…
Companies have long collected data on consumers to determine what people want and who their potential customers might be. But for anybody doing in business in Europe, how they go about collecting that data just got a lot more difficult. And corporate marketing departments are rushing to figure out what to do next. What changed…
While two-thirds of Americans dream of opening their own small business, recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals that approximately 20% of small businesses fail in their first year, and about 50% of small businesses fail in their fifth year. Clearly, there’s great risk involved in starting a small business today, and many…
When it comes to safety and the many regulatory compliances companies have to abide by, it can be challenging, especially for small businesses. The Nationwide fourth annual Business Owner Survey, reveals 71% of millennial small business owners are using connected technology to keep their employees safe. Technology to Keep Employees Safe The rate at which…