Tech Giants Amass a Lobbying Army for an Epic Washington Battle
WASHINGTON — Faced with the growing possibility of antitrust actions and legislation to curb their power, four of the biggest technology companies are amassing an army of lobbyists as they prepare for what could be an epic fight over their futures.
Initially slow to develop a presence in Washington, the tech giants — Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google — have rapidly built themselves into some of the largest players in the influence and access industry as they confront threats from the Trump administration and both parties on Capitol Hill.
The four companies spent a combined $55 million on lobbying last year, doubling their combined spending of $27.4 million in 2016, and some are spending at a higher rate so far this year, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks lobbying and political contributions. That puts them on a par with long-established lobbying powerhouses like the defense, automobile and banking industries.
As they have tracked increasing public and political discontent with their size, power, handling of user data and role in elections, the four companies have intensified their efforts to lure lobbyists with strong connections to the White House, the regulatory agencies, and Republicans and Democrats in Congress.
Of the 238 people registered to lobby for the four companies in the first three months of this year — both in-house employees and those on contract from lobbying and law firms — about 75 percent formerly served in the government or on political campaigns, according to an analysis of lobbying and employment records. Many worked in offices or for officials who could have a hand in deciding the course of the new governmental scrutiny.
The influence campaigns encompass a broad range of activities, including calls on members of Congress, advertising, funding of think-tank research and efforts to get the attention of President Trump, whose on-again, off-again streak of economic populism is of particular concern to the big companies.
Last month, the industry lobbying group, the Internet Association, which represents Amazon, Facebook and Google, awarded its Internet Freedom Award to Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter and White House senior adviser.
“They are no longer upstarts dipping a toe in lobbying,” said Sheila Krumholz, the executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics. “They have both feet in.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/05/us/politics/amazon-apple-facebook-google-lobbying.html
📡 @NoGoolag
#lobby #google #apple #facebook #USA
WASHINGTON — Faced with the growing possibility of antitrust actions and legislation to curb their power, four of the biggest technology companies are amassing an army of lobbyists as they prepare for what could be an epic fight over their futures.
Initially slow to develop a presence in Washington, the tech giants — Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google — have rapidly built themselves into some of the largest players in the influence and access industry as they confront threats from the Trump administration and both parties on Capitol Hill.
The four companies spent a combined $55 million on lobbying last year, doubling their combined spending of $27.4 million in 2016, and some are spending at a higher rate so far this year, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks lobbying and political contributions. That puts them on a par with long-established lobbying powerhouses like the defense, automobile and banking industries.
As they have tracked increasing public and political discontent with their size, power, handling of user data and role in elections, the four companies have intensified their efforts to lure lobbyists with strong connections to the White House, the regulatory agencies, and Republicans and Democrats in Congress.
Of the 238 people registered to lobby for the four companies in the first three months of this year — both in-house employees and those on contract from lobbying and law firms — about 75 percent formerly served in the government or on political campaigns, according to an analysis of lobbying and employment records. Many worked in offices or for officials who could have a hand in deciding the course of the new governmental scrutiny.
The influence campaigns encompass a broad range of activities, including calls on members of Congress, advertising, funding of think-tank research and efforts to get the attention of President Trump, whose on-again, off-again streak of economic populism is of particular concern to the big companies.
Last month, the industry lobbying group, the Internet Association, which represents Amazon, Facebook and Google, awarded its Internet Freedom Award to Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter and White House senior adviser.
“They are no longer upstarts dipping a toe in lobbying,” said Sheila Krumholz, the executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics. “They have both feet in.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/05/us/politics/amazon-apple-facebook-google-lobbying.html
📡 @NoGoolag
#lobby #google #apple #facebook #USA
Forwarded from BlackBox (Security) Archiv
The Politics of Datafication : The influence of lobbyists on the EU’s data protection reform and its consequences for the legitimacy of the General Data Protection Regulation
This study explores how one of the most talked about regulations in the internet policy domain was drafted. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has been widely regarded as one of the most lobbied pieces of legislation in the history of the European Union (EU). This raises two questions: What policy alternatives were put forth by the EU institutions in the course of the GDPR’s legislative process, and how did they correspond to the ideas, issues and frames promoted by interest representatives?
What does the influence of organized interests and stakeholders in GDPR decision-making reveal about the democratic legitimacy of the process? Drawing on new institutionalism, this research traces the evolution of the GDPR, comparing the different EU institutions’ iterations of the new law with the positions of interest representatives, and simultaneously situating the GDPR in the history of data protection policy.
The results reveal that business groups dominated the public consultations prior to the Commission’s draft proposal, but the Commission’s approach was more closely aligned with the positions of civil society. Members of the European Parliament were, on the contrary, highly susceptible to the influence of business interests, until public salience of information privacy increased owing to Edward Snowden’s revelations of governmental mass surveillance by the National Security Agency. These revelations made it possible for policy entrepreneurs to push for stronger rules on data protection.
👉🏼 Read more:
https://helda.helsinki.fi/handle/10138/305981
#lobby #influencer #EU #DataProtection #datafication #GDPR #regulation #surveillance #Snowden #NSA
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_DE
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_EN
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_ES
This study explores how one of the most talked about regulations in the internet policy domain was drafted. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has been widely regarded as one of the most lobbied pieces of legislation in the history of the European Union (EU). This raises two questions: What policy alternatives were put forth by the EU institutions in the course of the GDPR’s legislative process, and how did they correspond to the ideas, issues and frames promoted by interest representatives?
What does the influence of organized interests and stakeholders in GDPR decision-making reveal about the democratic legitimacy of the process? Drawing on new institutionalism, this research traces the evolution of the GDPR, comparing the different EU institutions’ iterations of the new law with the positions of interest representatives, and simultaneously situating the GDPR in the history of data protection policy.
The results reveal that business groups dominated the public consultations prior to the Commission’s draft proposal, but the Commission’s approach was more closely aligned with the positions of civil society. Members of the European Parliament were, on the contrary, highly susceptible to the influence of business interests, until public salience of information privacy increased owing to Edward Snowden’s revelations of governmental mass surveillance by the National Security Agency. These revelations made it possible for policy entrepreneurs to push for stronger rules on data protection.
👉🏼 Read more:
https://helda.helsinki.fi/handle/10138/305981
#lobby #influencer #EU #DataProtection #datafication #GDPR #regulation #surveillance #Snowden #NSA
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_DE
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_EN
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_ES
Facebook is quietly helping to set up a new pro-tech advocacy group to battle Washington
Comments
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153421
via www.washingtonpost.com
#fb #Facebook #privacy #lol #lobby
Comments
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153421
via www.washingtonpost.com
#fb #Facebook #privacy #lol #lobby
Telegraph
Facebook is quietly helping to set up a new pro-tech advocacy group to battle Washington
In December, American Edge formed as a nonprofit organization, and last month, it registered an accompanying foundation, according to incorporation documents filed in Virginia. The setup essentially allows it to navigate a thicket of tax laws in such a way…
Introduction to the Israel Lobby
https://ifamericansknew.org/us_ints/introlobby.html#
The Israel lobby is one of the most powerful and pervasive special interest groups in the United States. It consists of a multitude of powerful institutions and individuals that work to influence Congress, the president, academia, the media, religious institutions, and American public opinion on behalf of Israel.
Below is a partial list, in no particular order, of groups and individuals that publicly support Israel.
Some of these are official lobbying groups whose primary purpose is to lobby governmental officials for pro-Israel policies. Others are groups or individuals that work to influence the media, academia and/or others in a pro-Israel direction. Some do this full-time; others as one portion of a diverse array of activities. While they span the political spectrum and range from hardcore supporters of the Israeli right to liberal critics of some Israeli policies, all support Israel.
...
#israel #lobby #mafia #aipac
https://ifamericansknew.org/us_ints/introlobby.html#
The Israel lobby is one of the most powerful and pervasive special interest groups in the United States. It consists of a multitude of powerful institutions and individuals that work to influence Congress, the president, academia, the media, religious institutions, and American public opinion on behalf of Israel.
Below is a partial list, in no particular order, of groups and individuals that publicly support Israel.
Some of these are official lobbying groups whose primary purpose is to lobby governmental officials for pro-Israel policies. Others are groups or individuals that work to influence the media, academia and/or others in a pro-Israel direction. Some do this full-time; others as one portion of a diverse array of activities. While they span the political spectrum and range from hardcore supporters of the Israeli right to liberal critics of some Israeli policies, all support Israel.
...
#israel #lobby #mafia #aipac
Media is too big
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
A suppressed exposé by an undercover reporter on the methods used by the Israel lobby to procure pro-Israel policies (including obtaining billions of dollars from American taxpayers – Video ) This is excerpted from the 2018 four-part documentary "The Israel Lobby in the U.S." (view a 1-hour abridged version at The Lobby USA - A... and all four parts at [*Youtube link - Invidious does not convert playlists]
To learn about Israel's efforts to target Iran see : Israel escalates efforts to get US to attack Iran, as it did Iraq
To learn more about Israel see Isreal Palestine Basics : https://invidious.fdn.fr/watch?v=T5pvtUEk_gQ
For information on Israel partisans' efforts to create a new, Israel-focused definition of antisemitism see : International campaign is criminalizing criticism of Israel as 'antisemitism'
If Americans Knew - What every American needs to know about Israel/Palestine – https://ifamericansknew.org/
#Israel #Lobby #US #USTaxpayers #Palestine #Iran
To learn about Israel's efforts to target Iran see : Israel escalates efforts to get US to attack Iran, as it did Iraq
To learn more about Israel see Isreal Palestine Basics : https://invidious.fdn.fr/watch?v=T5pvtUEk_gQ
For information on Israel partisans' efforts to create a new, Israel-focused definition of antisemitism see : International campaign is criminalizing criticism of Israel as 'antisemitism'
If Americans Knew - What every American needs to know about Israel/Palestine – https://ifamericansknew.org/
#Israel #Lobby #US #USTaxpayers #Palestine #Iran