Tech Execs Wield Privacy as a Shield and a Sword in Congressional Hearing
The #BigTech antitrust hearing & the path ahead for privacy
Last week’s Big Tech hearing was like a six-hour national therapy session — a collective moment of airing our grievances against the CEOs of four of the world’s largest companies — Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple. In a world where this small group of rich and powerful men are used to calling the shots, being in control, and operating without permission, members of Congress had the chance to frame the conversation, ask directed questions, and even cut the CEOs short before they could finish their sentences. Both sides of the aisle were demonstrably angry at the power these companies have to control the distribution and flow of real goods and services and of information itself.
Led by Congressman David Cicilline [D-RI], the House Antitrust Subcommittee has spent the last year gathering evidence as part of a bipartisan investigation into the digital markets dominated by these companies. While the hearing touched on a wide range of topics due to the diverse nature of their businesses, the use of data to surveil the market and control competitors was one issue that cut across the lines of questioning for all four CEOs. Another theme was consumer privacy.
