时代周刊:国会能控制住大型科技公司吗?(2)

During the hearings, Zuckerberg touted¹ changes the company is already making to enhance privacy and transparency.

在听证会上，扎克伯格吹捧公司已经在为提高隐私和透明度做出改变了。

He made promises to root out bad actors,

他承诺会将坏人们连根拔起，

to take responsibility for unsavory content on the platform and to fight meddling² in elections that are coming up this year.

还承诺为平台上令人厌恶的内容负责，以及与干预今年即将到来的选举的行为作斗争。

The unanswered question: Who exactly is going to hold him to it?

他没有回答的问题是：究竟谁会监督他坚持到底?

ALTHOUGH CONGRESS has been loath³ to regulate big technology firms, many lawmakers are now arguing that legislation is the answer.

尽管国会一直不愿监管大型技术企业，但许多议员现在都辩称，立法才是解决问题的办法。

“Congress has an obligation in this moment to protect American citizens and national security,”

“在这个时刻，国会有义务保护我国的公民和国家的安全，”

Representative Ro Khanna, a Democratwho represents Silicon⁴ Valley, tells TIME.

代表硅谷的民主党众议员罗·坎那告诉《时代》周刊。

“We can’t let that be done, as well-intentioned as they may be, by 30-year-old entrepreneurs.”

“我们不能让一群30岁的企业家去做这件事，尽管他们可能是出于好意。”

Legislation was brought up repeatedly at the hearings,

在听证会上立法一事被反复提及，

but sweeping⁵ new laws from Congress remain more of a threat than a promise, especially while the GOP is in charge.

但是，全方位订立新法律与其说是一种承诺，不如说是一种威胁，尤其是在共和党执政期间。

The party is deeply allergic⁶ to business regulation,

因为该党极度反感商业规则，

and Congress is always playing catchup to technology, so statutes⁷ it writes can quickly become outdated⁸.

而且国会总是在追赶技术，所以它制定的法律很快就会过时。

Many fear that a broad law affecting the tech sector⁹

许多人担心，一项广泛的，影响科技行业的法律

“might end up freezing us in time so the Internet can’t develop and people don’t feel like they can innovate,”

“最终可能会将我们困住，这样互联网就无法发展，人们就会觉得自己无法创新了。”

says Corynne McSherry, legal director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital-rights advocacy group.

数字权利倡导组织电子前沿基金会的法律总监戈琳·麦克谢利表示。

Some lawmakers worry that rules dictating¹⁰ what’s allowed online could chill free speech

一些立法者担心，规定网上的行为尺度可能会打消言论自由的积极性，

and stifle¹¹ companies that have created thousands of jobs, as well as extremely useful tools.

扼杀那些创造了无数就业机会，以及非常有用的工具的企业。

Behemoths like Google and Facebook also have influential¹² arms in Washington

而且，诸如谷歌和Facebook之类的科技巨头在华盛顿还有

that can try to convince lawmakers that strict rules aren’t necessary, especially if they might compromise some of their constituents’ most-used products.

有机会说服议员们相信没有必要制定严格的规定，特别是那些规定可能会危及选民最常用的产品的时候，的分支机构。

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Facebook spent $11.5 million on lobbying in 2017.

根据响应政治中心的数据，Facebook2017年花了1150万美元进行游说。

Alphabet, Google’s parent company, spent more than any other single company, at $18 million.

谷歌的母公司Alphabet则花了1800万美元，超过了其他任何一家公司。

The companies and their employees also contributed millions to the campaigns of Democrats¹³ and Republicans in 2016.

这些公司及其员工还为2016年民主党和共和党的竞选活动贡献了数百万美元。

Saying lawmakers should regulate tech, as one Washington veteran put it,

正如一位华盛顿资深人士所说，议员们应该规范科技行业，

is about as simple as saying, “Let’s legislate¹⁴ on energy.”

这话说起来就和说“让我们为能源立法吧。”一样简单。

1 touted   

v.兜售( tout的过去式和过去分词 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• She's being touted as the next leader of the party. 她被吹捧为该党的下一任领导人。
• People said that he touted for his mother and sister. 据说，他给母亲和姐姐拉生意。 来自辞典例句

2 meddling   

v.干涉，干预（他人事务）( meddle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He denounced all "meddling" attempts to promote a negotiation. 他斥责了一切“干预”促成谈判的企图。 来自辞典例句
• They liked this field because it was never visited by meddling strangers. 她们喜欢这块田野，因为好事的陌生人从来不到那里去。 来自辞典例句

3 loath   

adj.不愿意的；勉强的

参考例句：

• The little girl was loath to leave her mother.那小女孩不愿离开她的母亲。
• They react on this one problem very slow and very loath.他们在这一问题上反应很慢，很不情愿。

4 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

5 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

6 allergic   

adj.过敏的，变态的

参考例句：

• Alice is allergic to the fur of cats.艾丽斯对猫的皮毛过敏。
• Many people are allergic to airborne pollutants such as pollen.许多人对空气传播的污染物过敏，比如花粉。

7 statutes   

成文法( statute的名词复数 )； 法令； 法规； 章程

参考例句：

• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Each agency is also restricted by the particular statutes governing its activities. 各个机构的行为也受具体法令限制。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

8 outdated   

adj.旧式的，落伍的，过时的；v.使过时

参考例句：

• That list of addresses is outdated,many have changed.那个通讯录已经没用了，许多地址已经改了。
• Many of us conform to the outdated customs laid down by our forebears.我们许多人都遵循祖先立下的过时习俗。

9 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

10 dictating   

v.大声讲或读( dictate的现在分词 )；口授；支配；摆布

参考例句：

• The manager was dictating a letter to the secretary. 经理在向秘书口授信稿。 来自辞典例句
• Her face is impassive as she listens to Miller dictating the warrant for her arrest. 她毫无表情地在听米勒口述拘留她的证书。 来自辞典例句

11 stifle   

vt.使窒息；闷死；扼杀；抑止，阻止

参考例句：

• She tried hard to stifle her laughter.她强忍住笑。
• It was an uninteresting conversation and I had to stifle a yawn.那是一次枯燥无味的交谈，我不得不强忍住自己的呵欠。

12 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

13 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 legislate   

vt.制定法律；n.法规，律例；立法

参考例句：

• Therefore,it is very urgent to legislate for the right of privacy.因此，为隐私权立法刻不容缓。
• It's impossible to legislate for every contingency.为每一偶发事件都立法是不可能的。