News Release: Public interest groups call on Congress to scrutinize Google’s foray into cryptocurrency

Today, in a letter to Congress, 17 national advocacy organizations representing consumers, investors, and digital rights concerns called on the House Financial Services Committee to hold a hearing scrutinizing the steps tech giant Google (Alphabet) is taking to enter the cryptocurrency and digital assets markets, and how such moves might negatively impact privacy rights, consumer protections and safeguards against economic concentration. The call echoes concerns raised previously by advocates regarding Facebook’s designs on the financial services sector with the introduction of its now scuttled stablecoin, Libra (renamed Diem). 

SEC Building

Letters to Regulators: Letter Commenting on the SEC’s Proposed Rule on Executive Compensation

AFREF sent a letter commenting on the Security and Exchange Commission’s proposed rule to implement Section 953(a) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, relating to executive compensation for financial performance.  The letter welcomes the SEC’s implementation of this important provision and makes recommendations to minimize executives’ incentives to focus on short-term shareholder returns at the expense of longer-term investments that contribute to equitable and sustainable economic growth over time.

the us capitol

Letters to Congress: Letter to Congress Regarding Google’s Entrance into Digital Asset Markets

We, the undersigned organizations, write to you as advocates of transparency in digital asset markets. The cryptocurrency market boom has led to large corporations investing in the field, including Facebook (now Meta), whose problematic “Libra” cryptocurrency proposal was scrutinized in a 2019 hearing held by the Committee, at your direction. Facebook has since abandoned the project in light of the concerns raised at this hearing and due to push back from policymakers, public interest organizations, and financial regulators. 

the outside exterior of the U.S. Treasury Department building

News Release: Statement in Response to Biden Administration Executive Order on Digital Assets

“The administration’s order includes the recognition that the rapid growth of digital assets as instruments for financial speculation is creating a wide range of serious risks and harms for consumers, investors, and the public at large.  It is important that the order recognizes and articulates a set of these risks, and a whole of government approach can help address the scale and scope of the potential harm. It will be important for the studies authorized by the order to generate useful data and momentum for decisive regulatory action,” said Mark Hays, senior policy analyst with AFR and Demand Progress.

IN THE NEWS: Building Power with Popular Education

In the progressive world, the term is often used interchangeably with political education, but the two are not comparable. That’s because political education centers on its content — it is more “what” than “how.” To be clear, political education isn’t exclusive of popular education. If you want to convey the benefits of ranked choice voting or the mutual aid components of the Black Panther Party, you could just as easily stand at a lectern delivering a monologue as you could opt for a popular education approach, grounded in the experiences in the room. The difference is in method more than content. Popular education uses a horizontal learning structure in which everyone in the room is both teacher and student, no matter the issue being addressed.