A pro-Biden organization, Future Forward USA Action, is making waves after launching an ad campaign to promote the president’s call to Congress during his State of the Union to push back against Big Tech. It’s one of the many issues being brought to the table in Washington which have seen little progress over the years, but Future Forward is making sure that Biden’s speech is seen and heard. Already spending over $900,000 on TV ads across the country, the campaign focuses on data privacy and children’s online safety, urging viewers to reach out to the White House for their appreciation. The data protection proposals offered by the President remain in transit, with Congress yet to take steps to act on the important matters.
The advertisement is seen by many as the start of bringing tech issues to the forefront of U.S. politics. The Tech Oversight Project, funded by the Omidyar Network, backs many of the same legislative actions proposed by Biden. The Future Forward USA Action PAC, which collects millions of dollars from Silicon Valley billionaires, also increases the profile of the tech policy push, driving visibility and creating an even stronger influence.
Both Republican and Democratic representatives have been engaged in data privacy talks but they have yet to reach a consensus on how to tackle the issue. For instance, Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers expressed her wariness of President Biden’s tech policy comments with a statement. The Trump-era suit against Activision Blizzard for suppressing esports pay was also recently resolved by The Department of Justice.
The U.S. government is no stranger to privacy concerns regarding China-linked apps such as TikTok, and Australia will be the first nation to completely remove it from government devices. The Federal Trade Commission is currently conducting an antitrust investigation into Microsoft’s $69 billion purchase of Activision.
Overall, the surge of pro-Biden messaging through Future Forward USA Action’s ad campaigns signifying tech issues as the focus for Washington is a bold move for both Democrats and Republicans in a climate where no clear resolution on the matters has yet to be seen. It remains to be seen whether this effort will make a difference in the outcome, or what strategies the stakeholders involved will employ in order to make sure the proposed plans become a reality in the near future.