WASHINGTON, DC – Today, The Tech Oversight Project issued the following statement regarding President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address and open endorsement of bipartisan antitrust measures. During his speech, Biden called on Congress to “pass bipartisan legislation to strengthen antitrust enforcement and prevent big online platforms from giving their own products an unfair advantage.” Biden added that “it’s time to pass bipartisan legislation to stop Big Tech from collecting personal data on kids and teenagers online, ban targeted advertising to children, and impose stricter limits on the personal data these companies collect on all of us.”
“Biden’s address marks the first time any President has even uttered the word ‘antitrust’ while delivering a State of the Union since 1979. For the movement, this is an important moment that shows that Big Tech’s era of unchecked power is coming to an end. Holding Tech giants accountable isn’t just good policy. It’s a political winner, and Biden’s State of the Union is Exhibit A,” said Kyle Morse, Deputy Executive Director of the Tech Oversight Project. “We applaud President Joe Biden for using his address to call on Congress to finally pass bipartisan antitrust reform like the American Innovation and Choice Online Act. It’s time for Members of Congress – on both sides of the aisle – to heed his call, stand up for the American people, and get this done.”