This is most clearly laid out in the administration’s executive order on AI that invokes the Defense Production Act to engage in the potential regulation and reporting of AI. Such an approach to a new, general-purpose technology is significantly different from the light-touch approach to regulate prior technologies, like the internet.
A light-touch approach supports innovation and entrepreneurship while a more government-directed and regulatory approach is likely to lead to government support for favored firms, creating a system with which only the largest companies can afford to comply. Further, more regulation could discourage private investment and development in ways that it is difficult to predict.
Other tech policy concerns likely to continue in a Harris administration include those raised about government jawboning of private platforms over the handling of certain content and ‚the potential regulation of internet speech either in the name of youth online safety or stemming from concerns about misinformation.
Much of the current “techlash” began during the Trump administration. Notably, while Republicans were previously perceived as favoring smaller government and less intervention, the Trump administration often viewed America’s leading tech companies with animosity, particularly around issues of content moderation.
As such, the possibility of a second Trump administration raises significant concerns that Section 230 and the application of the First Amendment online could come under attack in the name of protecting conservative voices or preventing the deplatforming of individuals. However, such actions could backfire, impacting a far broader set of platforms—like Trump’s own Truth Social—and discouraging social media platforms from carrying controversial views. Such concerns about the potential abuse of government power over disfavored approaches to speech are not limited to only online platforms, with Trump calling to revoke ABC’s license following the September 10 presidential debate.
While Trump may have seen support from some Silicon Valley voices like Elon Musk, many of the ongoing antitrust cases against these companies began during his administration. His vice presidential pick has voiced support for FTC Chair Lina Khan’s aggressive antitrust enforcement and supported efforts to change antitrust law. This indicates a concerning openness to undermining the success of the economic and consumer-focused approach to antitrust enforcement typically supported by free-market Republicans.
While the reasoning behind the desire for regulation may often be at odds with those on the left, there are also likely to be worrying calls for government intervention into online speech and regulation of competition policy from a Trump administration that could impact consumers’ experience of preferred services and continued innovation.
