User:15/Articles/Connected Commerce Council

The Connected Commerce Council (or 3C) is a non-profit advocacy group(I) claiming to represent the interests of small and medium enterprise.(K) While its stated purpose is to promote small businesses' access to digital technologies,(S) it has been described as an astroturfing organisation and receives funding from Amazon and Google.(U)(V)(W) Jake Ward serves as the organization's chief executive officer.(P)

Publications and advocacy activities
In May 2020, the Council released a report on the usage of digital tools by small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.(J) Titled "Digitally Empowered: How Digital Tools Power Small Businesses Amid COVID-19, it argues that small business rely more and more on digital tools, such as advertising tools on Instagram and Google Ads, CRM like Salesforce, and online market places such as Amazon or eBay. (J) Small business owners without an ecommerce presence would be more than twice as likely to temporarily close during the pandemic and a third of owners surveyed said that they would not have navigated the pandemic successfully without them.(H) The report, created in partnership with Google, also found that businesses using digital tools experienced smaller decreases in revenue.(O)

3C was concerned over efforts in the US Congress to overhaul antitrust policy to reign in dominant corporations, including Big Tech companies.(I) The council argued that the size of Big Tech companies was what made them attractive to small businesses.(I) The Head of the Council said that the US Congress should instead focus on helping small businesses recover from the pandemic.(U)

The council also opposes the Digital Markets Act, arguing that it threatens the existence of small businesses.(K)(X)(Y) The Act, which aims to decrease the market power of Big Tech by increasing inter-compatibility of messenger services, for instance, and reduce the extent of data collected, would increase the cost of online advertising, an important tool of small business.(K) While the Act mainly concerns big advertisers such as Google and Facebook, it would indirectly affect small- and medium businesses too.(K)

Other activities of the Connected Commerce Council include coordinating meetings between business owners and lawmaker offices,(M) drafting letters,(L) and writing opinion pieces published under the names of their members.(P)

Funding
The Council partners with Amazon, Google, and Facebook.(I)

Nonprofit membership organization (J)

Nonprofit advocacy group (I)

Represents interests of small and medium enterprise (K)

"bills itself as a voice for small businesses" (P)

Purpose is to promote small businesses' access to digital technologies (S)

Jake Ward CEO (P)

Represents more than 10k entrepreneurs (P)

Sections:

Publications/Reports (is there only the digital one?) and policy (perhaps switch) and activities? (setting up meetings etc)
"Digitally Empowered: How Digital Tools Power Small Businesses Amid COVID-19" released in May 2020, argues that small business rely more and more on digital tools, such as advertising tools on Instagram and Google Ads, CRM like Salesforce, and online market places such as Amazon or eBay. (J) Small business owners without an ecommerce presence would be more than twice as likely to temporarily close during the pandemic and a third of owners surveyed said that they would not have navigated the pandemic successfully without them.(H) The report, created in partnership with Google, also found that businesses using digital tools experienced smaller decreases in revenue.(O)

3C was also concerned over efforts in the US Congress to overhaul antitrust policy to reign in dominant corporations, including Big Tech companies.(I) The council argued that the size of Big Tech companies was what made them attractive to small businesses.(I) Head of the Council said that the US Congress should instead focus on helping small businesses recover from the pandemic.(U)

Opposed Digital Markets Act (of the EU's EC), arguing that it threatens the existence of small businesses (or just business in a general sense?).(K)(X) The Act, which aims to decrease the market power of Big Tech by increasing inter-compatibility of messenger services, for instance, and reduce the extent of data collected, would increase the cost of online advertising, an important tool of small business.(K) While the Act mainly concerns big advertisers such as Google and Facebook, it would indirectly affect small- and medium businesses too.(K)

Other activities: Coordinates meetings between business owners and lawmaker offices (M), drafting letters (L) and writing/drafting opinion pieces published by their members (P)

Funding
The Council partners with Amazon, Google, and Facebook. (I)

Funded by Google and Amazon. (U)

Part of larger campaign using small-business owners to oppose antitrust bills aimed at Big Tech. (U)

Result of government scrutiny (P)

Small and medium businesses targeted by both Big Tech and anti-monopoly groups. (U)

(As above): Small businesses a "powerful constituency in their battle over looming antitrust regulation". Funded by Google and Amazon. (M)

Amazon and Google statements on antitrust direct readers to statements by, among others, the CCC. (N)

According to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a way for industry to exert influence without seeming like they are (P)

Jake Ward says that the 3C was founded to help small businesses, defends Big Tech because they are beneficial for the start-ups represented by 3C (P)

Ward says they don't lobby on behalf of 3C (P)

Sources:

(A) https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/big-techs-go-to-defense-hiding-behind-small-business

(B) https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/big-techs-new-disguise

(C) https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2021/07/01/how-facebook-and-big-tech-wage-publicity-wars-through-close-ties-with-small-businesses/ (reports on (A))

(D) https://connectedcouncil.org/

(E) https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/1712040D:US (basic profile)

(F) https://campaignforaccountability.org/cfa-releases-new-report-showing-connected-commerce-council-is-big-techs-latest-astroturf-campaign/ (press release calling it an astroturf)

(G) https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/sites/default/files/GTP-3C-071619.pdf report referenced in (F)

---(H) https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2020/06/07/connected-commerce-council-jake-ward.html reporting on 3C report on ecommerce and covid

---(I) https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/feb/23/small-business-coalition-urges-lawmakers-tread-car/ on 3C warning lawmakers about the harm to small businesses resulting from antitrust against big tech (possibly unreliable, but might be for this --UPDATE: generally reliable outside of science and politics per RSP), also talks about

---(J) https://www.deseret.com/utah/2020/5/27/21272401/study-small-businesses-surviving-digital-access-coronavirus on 3C report on digital tools

---(K) https://t3n.de/news/3c-digital-markets-act-kmu-1417061/ on 3C opposing Digital Markets Act

---(L) https://www.realvail.com/polis-asked-by-small-business-to-support-big-tech-during-covid-19-crisis/a8508/ letter of small business owners spearheaded by 3C, fearing antitrust stuff

---(M) https://www.axios.com/small-business-congress-google-amazon-antitrust-09b053fe-3611-416f-ab1f-7da29647fe09.html on government and big tech trying to get SMEs to support them, mentions that 3C gets funding from big tech

---(N) https://www.shorenewsnetwork.com/2021/10/28/google-is-emailing-customers-to-oppose-big-tech-antitrust-bills/ Google contacting customers to oppose antitrust bills, directing them to statements by the 3C, Chamber of Progress and US Chamber of Commerce

---(O) https://hr.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/new-google-programme-to-help-smbs-build-digital-safety-net/78075965 on report by 3C on pandemic and disruption

---(P) https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/06/10/amazon-facebook-google-political-allies-antitrust/ on lobbying and 3C being backed by big tech

(Q) https://digitallyempowered.connectedcouncil.org/pdf/3C-DigitallyEmpowered-52720v2.pdf original report of 3C

(R) https://www.politico.eu/newsletter/politico-eu-influence/big-tech-astroturfing-who-speaks-for-small-eu-companies-eyes-on-washington-2/

(S) https://kiowacountypress.net/content/small-business-advocacy-group-asks-lawmakers-rethink-big-tech-regulation-strategy

(T) https://www.wiwo.de/my/technologie/digitalisierung-der-wirtschaft/mit-tricks-und-traenen-so-beeinflussen-facebook-google-und-co-die-arbeit-der-eu/27810210.html?ticket=ST-6937507-qwFbiOm342jSDZe7L17B-cas01.example.org (paywalled)

---(U) https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-03/big-tech-and-antitrust-champions-vie-over-small-business-claims

---(V) https://www.zeit.de/2022/04/tech-konzerne-markt-macht-eu/ (paywalled)

(W) https://prospect.org/justice/week-reckoning-big-tech/

(X) https://www.ft.com/content/8c7527bc-7ab4-41cd-ba94-3145208da9c3

(Y) https://siliconangle.com/2022/01/11/google-lobbies-furiously-influence-impact-europes-incoming-digital-markets-act/