Mike Peterson
At a Senate committee on Big Tech, Sen. Amy Klobuchar pushed back against claims that her legislation to bar companies from self-preferencing their own platforms will hurt consumers.
Back in October, Sen. Klobuchar and Sen. Chuck Grassley introduced the bipartisan "American Innovative and Choice Online Act." The proposed bill would limit the ability for major tech companies to feature and prefer its own services over those of rivals.
At a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on Thursday, Klobuchar shot down claims that the bill would harm consumer choice.
"It's just that our laws haven't caught up to a major, major part of our economy. And my view has always been that competition is good for innovation," she said. "We've heard a lot of claims that somehow doing something is going to undermine the tech companies, but in fact, they are doing just fine and what we want to make sure is we continue to foster competition."
Despite the defense of the new bill, the committee hearing on Thursday focused on algorithms — and, more specifically, how social media platforms design their algorithms to drive user engagement.
This isn't the first time that Klobuchar has taken aim at Big Tech. Earlier in 2021, for example, she introduced new legislation that could bolster antitrust regulators with additional power.
She also heads up the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights.
Andrew Orr
Marko Zivkovic
Christine McKee
Malcolm Owen
Amber Neely
37 Comments
So, let me try and understand this hogwash. If I buy an iPhone from Apple, they have to push all non-Apple software over their own. When I buy a car made by xxxx I expect to have it furnished with products made by xxxx not from a different auto manufacturer. If I want an Alpine deck I’ll get that after I buy the car with the xxxx-furnished deck. Isn’t this what Apple is doing? Consumers can always add whatever else they want to but I’m buying the iPhone (xxxx car) with what Apple offers. I’m not buying the chassis from one company and the engine from another.
Sure. Why wouldn't I want the app that works seamlessly with my new device to be buried with a hundred crap apps?
darkvader said:Nothing about bribery, wtf. I'll tell you with a straight face, that as an iPhone user since iPhone 3G and an iOS developer, all this legislature is ridiculous and I don't want the government forcing changes to it.
If you diminish the product, cripple it, then you hurt all the satisfied customers and you hurt the capitalistic incentives of the company producing the product.
You don't tell Best Buy not to promote their protection plans, instead let someone else offer an insurance service in your store.
You don't tell Nintendo not to promote their first-party games on the console platform they created.
Why should you tell Apple they can't promote services to enrich the iPhone experience, on the platform they created?