The president tried to muster bipartisan support to finally resolve a series of longstanding privacy, security and competition issues facing the tech industry. During the more than an hour speech, Biden called on Congress to pass new rules that would protect the privacy of user data and boost competition in the technology industry.
“Pass Bipartisan Legislation to Strengthen Antitrust Enforcement”
“Pass bipartisan legislation to strengthen antitrust enforcement and prevent large online platforms from giving their own products an unfair advantage,” Biden said. “It’s time to pass bipartisan legislation to stop Big Tech from collecting personal data from children and teens online, ban advertising directed at children, and place stricter limits on the personal data these companies collect about all of us.”
The speech echoed much of what Biden said during his first State of the Union address last year. The safety of children online has long concerned Congress and the Biden administration, reaching dramatic highs in 2021 after Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen leaked internal company documents detailing mental health risks. that young users face when using Meta platforms like Instagram. Haugen attended the president’s final speech as a guest of first lady Jill Biden, a testament to the administration’s desire for stronger online protections.
But in the past two years, little has been done to improve the safety of young social media users in the US. Lawmakers have introduced dozens of bills, but none have garnered enough support to force a vote on the House or the Senate. Many of these bills, like Sens. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Josh Hawley (R-MO)’s move to update a permanent child online safety law, do much of what Biden called for on Tuesday, such as Ban platforms like Instagram and YouTube from targeting ads to minors.
Biden touted his administration’s work to boost US competitiveness vis-à-vis China, taking advantage of prime time to promote the $52 billion CHIPS and Science Act that included $52 billion in funding to boost the semiconductor manufacturing in the US Despite the speech’s focus on China, Biden did not comment on whether his administration would ban TikTok.
“I will not apologize for investing to make America stronger,” Biden said. “Invest in American innovation, in industries that will define the future and that the Chinese government intends to dominate.”
