CA POLL: Amid CA-Member Gripes, Widespread Support for Antitrust in Google, Apple, and Meta’s Home State Voters
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Tech Oversight Project spotlighted a statewide California poll from Edison that shows broad bipartisan support for reining in Big Tech. Despite ongoing pushback from some members claiming to represent California interests, the poll shows Golden State voters overwhelmingly support the American Innovation and Choice Act (AICO), the Open App Markets Act (OAMA), and holding big tech companies accountable. Specifically, the poll shows two-in-three Californians would be LESS LIKELY to support their member of Congress if they took political contributions from Big Tech and blocked accountability legislation. Please click here to download the full poll.
“California voters are sending a clear message. They are sick and tired of a status quo where Big Tech monopolies throw their weight around to crush competitors, collude in backroom deals to carve up the market, and weaponize our data against us. Big Tech is running out of reasons to stave off accountability and oversight, and losing the state of California is proof that it’s time to get this done,” said Sacha Haworth, Executive Director of The Tech Oversight Project. “Passing the American Innovation and Choice Online Act and the Open App Markets Act will help cripple the business models of predatory companies like Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon and help create a level playing field where the best ideas, products, and companies rise to the top.”
The published results come as the House of Representatives takes up H.R. 3843, the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act, which would ensure antitrust enforcers have additional resources to protect consumers by updating merger filing fees, lowering the burden on small and medium-sized businesses, and ensuring larger deals bring in more revenue for the antitrust agencies, all at no additional cost to the American taxpayer.
The State of California has recently made strides in protecting children online and reining in Big Tech’s most predatory practices by signing into law the first-in-the-nation Age Appropriate Design Code (AADC) and AB-587. The AADC forces social media platforms to consider the privacy and protection of children in designing any digital product or service that children in California are likely to access, and AB-587 will require social media companies to publicly post their policies regarding hate speech, disinformation, harassment, and extremism on their platforms, and report data on their enforcement of the policies.
Key Findings:
- 72.8% of respondents support the American Innovation and Choice Online Act
- 73.8% of respondents support the Open App Markets Act
- 66.2% of respondents would be less likely to support their Member of Congress if they accepted donations from Big Tech and blocked accountability legislation
- 60% of respondents believe Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon have too much control over our national economy