US election: Where do Trump and Biden stand on tech issues?
The bosses of Facebook, Twitter and Google are this afternoon appearing in front of a US Senate committee to face questions over key issues of tech regulation.
With tech titans facing increased scrutiny in their home country, the topic is likely to be a key policy issue in the run-up to the presidential election.
So where do Donald Trump and Joe Biden stand on major tech issues?
Section 230
One of the key topics in today’s hearing is Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act — a key law protecting internet companies from liability for the content posted to their platforms.
Section 230 has been a major point of contention in recent months, with lawmakers scrutinising the role it plays in social media firms’ ability to moderate and remove material from their sites.
Trump has led the charge against the protections, signing an executive order in May that vowed to scrap or weaken the law.
The president and other Republicans have accused social media sites of political bias and stifling conservative voices.
It comes after several of Trump’s posts were removed or flagged for containing harmful content or misinformation, while Twitter blocked the spread of two New York Post stories that made unverified claims about Joe Biden’s son.
Unusually, Section 230 has proved a rare area of agreement between the rival candidates, with Biden also coming out in support of reforms.
But the motivation is different, and Democrats are more focused on addressing tech firms’ efforts to crack down on harmful content and misinformation.
Big tech break-up
Another major issue facing tech giants is the possibility of tougher regulation or — potentially — even a break-up of Big Tech.
Earlier this month Democrats on the US House Antitrust Committee published a damning report into the tech giants’ abuse of market power, laying out a roadmap for a potential break-up.
Biden has stopped short of explicitly calling for tech firms to be dismantled, though he has previously expressed his dislike of Facebook and hinted at a break-up.
Meanwhile, Trump’s administration has recently ramped up the scrutiny on tech titans over their monopoly powers.
The Department of Justice last week filed a lawsuit against Google, accusing it of abusing its market power to shut out rivals.
Data privacy
Another unusual point of consensus has been data privacy, with both candidates coming out in support of tougher new laws.
Biden has suggested that the US should consider legislation similar to the GDPR framework rolled out recently in the EU.
Trump has been more critical of GDPR, but his administration has criticised tech firms’ privacy practices and supported new laws.
Some of Trump’s concerns, however, are focused on China, with campaigns against firms such as Tiktok focused on the risk that US data could be passed to authorities in Beijing.
Tech tax
Tech tax has been a key issue in recent years, with regulators in Europe scrambling to agree on a global framework to ensure companies pay their fair share.
But the proposals have come under fierce criticism from Trump, who has accused authorities of unfairly targeting American companies.
By contrast, Biden has set out plans to hike corporation tax and is poised to roll out a much tougher regime on tech firms.
The presidential hopeful has outlined proposals for a minimum tax and higher levies on foreign earnings of US companies located overseas — policies targeted at Amazon and other tech firms.
China
One of the defining characteristics of Trump’s presidency has been his tough line on China — something that has had a huge impact on the tech sector.
Trump’s White House led the attack on Huawei, while it has now forced a sale of Chinese-owned viral video app Tiktok.
While the hawkish stance may benefit some tech firms (such as Tiktok suitor Oracle), most players have suffered from increased tariffs and supply chain troubles as a result of Trump’s policy.
Trump has frequently used China to discredit Biden, claiming that his presidential rival would fail to stand up to Beijing.
But Biden has been a vocal critic of China’s human rights abuses and has vowed to be tough on the world’s second-largest economy over its trade practices.