Today, Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) reintroduced the “American Innovation and Choice Online Act.” The bill would prevent Big Tech from discriminating against competitors on their platforms including by barring them from preferencing their own products and services over a competitor’s better offering. It would also prohibit dominant digital platforms from limiting platform access for potential competitors or exploiting a business user’s data to compete unfairly against them. Public Knowledge urges Congress to move forward quickly on this important legislation.
The following can be attributed to Charlotte Slaiman, Competition Policy Director at Public Knowledge:
“For too long, Big Tech companies have been in the enviable position of choosing who gets to compete against them, in what ways, on a playing field that they own. We need the fair competition requirements in the AICOA to ensure that these companies compete for users on the features we care about. We care about privacy. We care about misinformation. We care about free expression. Right now, Big Tech gets to make these decisions for us. Fair competition can put users back in the driver’s seat – where we belong.”
You may view our article, “We Can Have a Better Internet If We Allow Competition To Flourish,” for more information on how this bill can help create a better internet.
Members of the media may contact Communications Director Shiva Stella with inquiries, interview requests, or to join the Public Knowledge press list at shiva@publicknowledge.org or 405-249-9435.