FILE - This Nov. 14, 2018 file photo shows New York State Sen. Michael Gianaris, center, as he calls on supporters to remove the Amazon app from their phones and boycott the company, as he address a coalition rally and press conference, in New York. Big tech’s outsized influence over society has become one of the biggest battlefronts in state legislatures this year.
So scores of so-called “techlash” bills are being debated in dozens of statehouses, where lawmakers of both major parties are proposing new regulations related to antitrust, consumer privacy, app store fees and taxes on digital ad sales. Republican lawmakers also are pushing back against what they claim without evidence is anGianaris, a Democrat, is pushing a landmark antitrust bill in the New York Legislature.
Leading the pushback are companies such as Epic, which owns the popular Fortnite video game, Spotify and Match.com. They want to force Apple and Google to let them keep the proceeds from subscriptions and in-app sales without taking a cut. Similar legislation is being considered in Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wisconsin. App store legislation in North Dakota died in February following intense lobbying by both sides. Apple Chief Privacy Engineer Erik Neuenschwander spoke out against the bill, saying it “threatens to destroy iPhone as you know it” by requiring changes that would undermine privacy and security.
One of its sponsors, Republican state Rep. Fiona McFarland, said it’s a response to the omnipresent collection, sharing and selling of personal information.Facebook says it supports some online privacy laws and provides as much input as possible while bills are being written. The Internet Association, the tech industry’s major trade group representing Amazon, Facebook, Google and dozens of other tech companies, declined to comment.
The companies’ disruption of traditional businesses — and the tax revenue they once provided for governments — also hasn’t gone unnoticed.
mgordonap BobbyCalvan Big tech should be reigned in Lets get 230 now No blocking No suspensions Freedom of expression We all have a brain to decipher information on the tweets
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