Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google face claims of 'harmful' power

July 30, 2020

BBC NEWS

The heads of some of the world's biggest tech companies have appeared before Washington lawmakers to defend their firms against claims they abuse their power to quash competitors.

quash v.  /kwɒʃ/  

1.( law 律 ) to officially say that a decision made by a court is no longer valid or correct 宣布（法庭的裁决）无效；撤销（判决） •His conviction was later quashed by the Court of Appeal. 后来，上诉法院撤销了对他的有罪判决。

2.to take action to stop sth from continuing 制止；阻止；平息 •The rumours were quickly quashed. 流言很快被制止了。

Amazon boss Jeff Bezos said the world "needs large" firms, while the heads of Facebook, Apple and Google argued their companies had spurred innovation.

spur /spɜː(r)/  

1.马刺；靴刺；2.[ usually sing. ] ~ (to sth) a fact or an event that makes you want to do sth better or more quickly 鞭策；激励；刺激；鼓舞 •His speech was a powerful spur to action. 他的讲话很有鼓动力。

3. 山嘴；尖坡；支脉；4.（公路或铁路的）支线，岔线

5. ~ sb/sth (on) (to sth/to do sth) to encourage sb to do sth or to encourage them to try harder to achieve sth 鞭策；激励；刺激；鼓舞 •Her difficult childhood spurred her on to succeed. 她艰辛的童年激励她取得成功。 •

6.to make sth happen faster or sooner 促进，加速，刺激（某事发生）

•The agreement is essential to spurring economic growth around the world. 这项协议对于促进世界经济的增长是至关重要的。

7. to encourage a horse to go faster, especially by pushing the spurs on your boots into its side 策（马）前进；（尤指用马刺）策（马）加速

IDIOMS 习语

1. on the ˌspur of the ˈmoment：suddenly, without planning in advance 一时冲动之下；心血来潮 •I phoned him up on the spur of the moment. 我一时心动，给他打了电话。 •a spur-of-the-moment decision 心血来潮的决定

2. win/earn your ˈspurs：( formal ) to achieve fame or success 获得名望；取得成功

The appearance comes as lawmakers consider tougher regulation and competition probes are under way.

Some critics want the firms broken up.

Democrats pressed the tech titans on competition issues, while Republicans were more concerned about how they managed information and whether they were marginalising conservative views.

Democrat /'deməkræt/ 民主党人，民主主义者

marginalize v.   /ˈmɑːdʒɪnəlaɪz/  [ VN ] to make sb feel as if they are not important and cannot influence decisions or events; to put sb in a position in which they have no power 使显得微不足道；使处于边缘；使无实权

marginalising conservative views：边缘化保守观点

Congressman David Cicilline, the Democrat leading the congressional committee holding the hearing, said a year-long investigation by lawmakers had showed the online platforms had "wielded their power in destructive, harmful ways in order to expand".

wield v. /wiːld/  1.to have and use power, authority, etc. 拥有，运用，行使，支配（权力等）•She wields enormous power within the party. 她操纵着党内大权。 2.to hold sth, ready to use it as a weapon or tool 挥，操，使用（武器、工具等）

He said he was convinced the firms were monopolies and called for action.

"Some need to be broken up and all need to be properly regulated," he said at the end of more than five hours of testimony.

monopoly /məˈnɒpəlɪ/：垄断，垄断企业   testimony n. /ˈtestɪməni/ ：证言、证词、口供；证据、证明

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai of Google, and Tim Cook of Apple insisted they had done nothing illegal and stressed the American roots and values of their firms.

What are the main concerns about the tech giants?

At the hearing, lawmakers accused Google of having stolen content created by smaller firms, like Yelp, in order to keep users on their own web pages.

Amazon's treatment of sellers on its site, Facebook's acquisition of competitors such as Instagram, and Apple's App store also drew attention.

Mr Cicilline said Amazon had an inherent conflict of interest, since it both hosts sellers and competes against them by offering similar products. Such practice has also come under scrutiny from European regulators.

scrutiny n. /ˈskruːtəni/   仔细检查；认真彻底的审查

• Her argument doesn't really stand up to scrutiny. 她的观点经不起认真推敲。

• The documents should be available for public scrutiny . 这些文件须公之于世，交由公众审议。

"Amazon's dual role... is fundamentally anti-competitive and Congress must take action," he said.

However, some Republicans signalled they were not prepared to split up the firms or significantly overhaul US competition laws, with one committee member saying "big is not inherently bad".

overhaul  名词重音 /ˈəʊvəhɔːl/  an examination of a machine or system, including doing repairs on it or making changes to it 检修；大修；改造 •a complete/major overhaul 全面╱大检修

动词重音/ˌəʊvəˈhɔːl/1.to examine every part of a machine, system, etc. and make any necessary changes or repairs 彻底检修

•The engine has been completely overhauled. 发动机已彻底检修过了。

2.to come from behind a person you are competing against in a race and go past them 赶上，超过（赛跑对手）

Republican concerns focused on perceived political bias at the firms, which they accused of suppressing conservative views.

"I'll just cut to the chase - big tech is out to get conservatives," said Congressman Jim Jordan, a Republican from Ohio.

cut to the chase：开门见山；提到关键问题；转入（或切入）正题

out to：企图、意欲 big tech is out to get conservatives：IT巨头想争取保守党的支持。但也有不一样的含义有首励志歌名叫Life’s not out to get you比较出名的翻译是“人生何处不青山” 。因为out to get sb在口语表达中有使人难堪的意思，感觉像针对某人。Life’s not out to get you直译就是生活不是刁难你。

·So why does it feel like even the lettuce is out to get us? 那么为什么感觉甚至连莴苣都要加害我们呢？