More than a dozen smaller tech companies are urging lawmakers to pass antitrust legislation. The bill would allow them to address anti-competitive conduct and privacy failures in one go.
In a letter to top congressional leaders on Tuesday, executives from a dozen smaller tech companies called on them to pass the American Innovation and Choice Online Act, or AICO, a sweeping competition bill that would restrict dominant platforms from favoring their own services over those of their competitors. New funding for antitrust regulators at the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission is included in the bill.
Andy Yen said in a statement that more competition is a precondition for better privacy online. Lawmakers need to pass the American Innovation and Choice Online Act because competition policy may not solve all of our data privacy challenges.
The AICO and its companion in the House have mostly stopped working. Schumer promised to hold a floor vote for the AICO this summer. As Democrats faced pressure to advance other Biden administration priorities, the vote was delayed. Schumer told the New York Post that he would schedule a floor vote for the fall and that the AICO wasn't forgotten. There are no votes scheduled at this time.
Democrats might not have enough votes in the Senate to approve the bill. The Washington Post reported in July that several Democrats, like Jon Ossoff, hadn't pledged to vote for the bill. The bill can't be passed without a mix of Republican and Democrat votes or every Democrat agreeing to approve it.
Experts fear that Congress may not have enough time to pass the bill before the elections.
Lawmakers have debated tech issues for years, but have failed to pass any legislation. The AICO would be a significant first step, allowing consumers to pick and choose the products and services that provide them with more privacy and security protection.
Gabriel Weinberg, CEO and founder of DuckDuckGo, said in a statement on Tuesday that companies like Facebook have abused their positions of power and made it hard to switch to more private alternatives. The American innovation and choice online act would help empower users to pick the services they want to use. We want Congress to vote now.
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