As President-elect Donald Trump prepares for his second term, his approach to technology policy becomes clearer, with significant implications for major tech companies and the apps that millions of people use every day.
Trump has long promised to crack down on big tech companies, and he has filled his administration with people who share that vision. However, in recent weeks, Trump has been forming relationships with industry leaders whom he has criticized for years.
His inaugural fund has received million-dollar contributions from Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, Jeff Bezos’ Amazon, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Elon Musk of X has even described himself as Trump’s “first buddy.”
“I’d like to get ideas from them.” “Look, we want them to succeed,” Trump said, indicating a willingness to work with tech titans.
Tech companies, particularly social media platforms, are aware of the challenges that lie ahead. Trump has accused them of censoring conservative speech, and concerns about privacy and child safety are bipartisan in Congress.
The scrutiny of their industry is expected to increase.
Brendan Carr, Trump’s nominee to lead the Federal Communications Commission, has expressed a desire to change the way the agency operates.
“For too long, Republicans have sat back and said, if a large corporation wants to do something, who are we to stand in their way? And Democrats responded, “Well, they’re ideologically aligned with us, so we’ll let them get away with it.” “I think that era is over,” Carr stated.
Carr has advocated for making it easier to sue social media companies over content moderation, a move that platforms fear will force them to moderate nothing or everything, drastically altering the online landscape.
TikTok’s future in the United States is also uncertain, with a Supreme Court decision potentially determining its fate unless President Biden delays its sale from its Chinese parent company.
Trump has hinted at a possible reprieve, saying, “You know I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok because I won youth by 34 points, and there are those who say TikTok had something to do with that.”
Google and Apple are also under scrutiny, with Gail Slater being nominated to lead the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. Slater is expected to pursue ongoing cases against these companies, which the DOJ alleges engage in anti-competitive behavior.
Slater was nominated by Trump because: “Big Tech has run wild for years, stifling competition in our most innovative sector and, as we all know, using its market power to crack down on the rights of so many Americans, as well as those of Little Tech!”
As Trump’s administration takes shape, the tech industry is left wondering whether he will carry out his plans to crack down on big tech or if collaboration with top executives will prevail.
