The 46th president of the United States took up the pen to write an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal urging Democrats and Republicans to “unite against big tech companies.”
Joe Biden continues the trade war against Chinese companies initiated by his predecessor, Donald Trump, but also seems determined to contain the power of the tech giants domestically. The 46th president of the United States published a column in the Wall Street Journal denouncing his grievances against Big Tech (Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta and Microsoft). Joe Biden hopes to bring Democrats and Republicans together to legislate; wishful thinking perhaps, but an initiative that remains symptomatic.
In his gallery, the president is, of course, careful not to explicitly name his targets. The argument essentially revolves around two axes: the protection of privacy and the fight against monopolies. On a more political level, it implies that algorithms play an important role in polarizing opinions.
Joe Biden writes, “Some industry players are collecting, sharing, and exploiting our most private data, increasing extremism and polarization in our country, tipping the game in our economy, trampling on the civil rights of women and minorities, and even putting our children at risk. . »
Monopoly, a drag on innovation that worries Joe Biden
On privacy, he says, “We need serious federal protection for the privacy of Americans. This means clear limits on how companies can collect, use and share highly personal data – your internet history, personal communications, location, and health, genetic and biometric data. It is not enough for companies not to disclose the data they collect. Most of this data should not be collected in the first place. This protection should be even stronger for young people, who are particularly vulnerable online. We need to limit targeted advertising and ban it altogether for children. »
On competition, Joe Biden explains, “When technology platforms become too powerful, many of them find ways to promote their own products while excluding or penalizing their competitors – or charging competitors a fortune to sell on their platform. […]. To ensure that US technology continues to lead the world in advanced innovation, we need fairer rules of conduct. The next generation of big US companies should not be suppressed by dominant incumbents before they have had a chance to get off the ground. »
Indomitable tech giants?
The future will tell whether Joe Biden succeeds in bending the situation to his will. While these tech giants may seem untouchable, recent years have shown that they are still influenced by political decisions. The most recent example is none other than Apple, strongly criticized by both Democrats and Republicans for its ties to the Chinese company YMTC. The apple brand allegedly supported the development of this company by helping it recruit Western engineers.
If Apple’s primary goal was economic rather than political (increasing the number of suppliers to put pressure on prices), then this attitude backfired in a context where the United States is doing everything possible to hinder China’s technological development, and that has been the case several times. years now. And in fact, Apple had to overhaul some of its supply chains because of the trade war with China.
Yet it is easier to unite against a common enemy, and hindering China’s development is certainly a more consensual resolution in the United States than respecting “the civil rights of women and minorities,” to quote Joe Biden to use.
Sources: Wall Street Journal, WCCFTech, 9to5mac
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