Big Tech To Congress: Forget About Antitrust, Pass a Privacy Law

Tech giants have a message for Congress: Stop pushing for antitrust laws, and pass privacy rules instead. Lobbying to stop a package of bills designed to curb internet giants' power reached a frenzy this week, as the window for major legislation before the midterms closes. A report notes: Two industry groups representing companies such as Meta Platforms and Alphabet held separate lobbying days to oppose the bills and promote a federal privacy law, among other industry goals. TechNet, one of the oldest tech interest groups, met virtually with 41 lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The group's president, Linda Moore, said TechNet argued that voters care more about addressing privacy issues than antitrust issues. "A lot of the interest around the competition bills is based on the collection and the use of data," Moore said. "Let's focus on that part." A federal privacy standard was proposed years ago, but has not been a focus for this Congress as lawmakers turned their attention to competition and content moderation issues. But as many states have passed their own privacy bills, companies and lawmakers have looked to codify a federal standard.

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