The American technology industry is the most innovative in the world. I am proud of what he has accomplished and of the many talented and dedicated people who work in this industry every day. But, like many Americans, I am concerned about how some in the industry collect, share and exploit our most personal data, deepen extremism and polarization in our country, alter the playing field of our economy, they violate the civil rights of women and minorities and put our children at risk.
As my administration works to address these challenges with the legal authority we have, I urge Democrats and Republicans to unite to pass strong bipartisan legislation to hold Big Tech accountable.
The risks Big Tech poses to ordinary Americans are clear. Big Tech collects massive amounts of data about the things we buy, the websites we visit, the places we frequent and, most worrying of all, our children. As I said last year in my State of the Union address, millions of young people are struggling with bullying, violence, trauma and mental health. We need to hold social media companies to account for the experiment they are conducting on our children for profit.
To keep Americans on their platforms, Big Tech companies often use users’ personal data to drive them to extreme and polarizing content that is likely to keep them connected and keep them clicking. Too often, tragic violence has been linked to toxic online echo chambers.
Furthermore, social media and other platforms have enabled abuse and even criminal behavior, such as cyberstalking, child sexual exploitation, non-consensual pornography and the sale of dangerous drugs. In other cases, Big Techs have shut out family-owned businesses from their platforms, put them at a disadvantage, or have priced them outrageously, making it more difficult for them to compete and grow, thus stifling innovation.
These are just some of the reasons I have pushed for legislation that holds Big Tech accountable. Since the beginning of my administration, I have embraced three major principles of reform.
First, we need serious federal privacy protections for Americans. This means clear limits on how companies can collect, use and share highly personal data: your internet history, your personal communications, your location and your health, genetic and biometric data. It’s not enough for companies to disclose what data they’re collecting. Much of this data shouldn’t be collected. These protections should be even stronger for young people, who are particularly vulnerable online. We should limit targeted advertising and ban it for children altogether.
Second, big tech companies need to take responsibility for the content they disseminate and the algorithms they use. That’s why I’ve been saying for a long time that we need to radically reform Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects technology companies from legal liability for content posted on their sites. We also need much more transparency about the algorithms Big Tech uses to prevent them from discriminating, denying opportunities to equally skilled women and minorities, or serving children with content that threatens their mental health and safety.
Third, we need to bring competition back to the technology sector. My administration has made significant progress in promoting competition throughout the economy, consistent with my July 2021 executive order. But we can do more. When technology platforms get big enough, many find ways to promote their products while excluding or disadvantaging competitors, or they charge competitors a fortune to sell on their platform. My vision for our economy is one where everyone – small and medium-sized businesses, family-owned shops, entrepreneurs – can compete on an equal footing with the largest corporations. To realize this vision, and to ensure that American technology continues to lead the world in cutting-edge innovation, we need fairer rules of the road. The next generation of big American companies shouldn’t be stifled by incumbents before they have a chance to get off the ground.
For two years, my administration has worked hard to put these principles into practice, to the extent that existing laws permit. My administration is developing new privacy policies for commercial data. We are fighting algorithmic discrimination against protected groups and have published a set of best practices for government and industry. We are working with domestic and global partners to make online safety a priority and recently secured a significant increase in funding for our antitrust authorities so they can continue to address new challenges in the technology sector.
But our current authority has limits. We need bipartisan action from Congress to hold Big Tech accountable. We’ve heard a lot about commission creation. It’s time to get down to business and do something about it. There will be many policy issues in the new Congress that we will disagree on, but bipartisan proposals to protect our privacy and children, to prevent discrimination, sexual exploitation and cyberstalking, and to address anticompetitive conduct should not separate us. Let’s unite behind our common values and show the nation that we can work together to get the job done.
* president of the United States of America
copyright Wall Street Journal