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The Democratic platform is stepping up its efforts on antitrust in the technology sector and online safety for children
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The Democratic platform is stepping up its efforts on antitrust in the technology sector and online safety for children

As billionaires push Kamala Harris to back away from President Joe Biden’s antitrust policies, the Democratic Party appears to be doubling down on pressure.

The word “competition” appears 18 times in the 2024 party platform, compared to nine times in the 2020 version. Other key policy areas, such as combating junk fees and non-competes, are also mentioned several times in the 2024 platform, compared to only a passing mention of non-competes in the 2020 document. Notably, these are areas where the Federal Trade Commission, led by Lina Khan—a target of the ire of more business-focused Democrats like Reid Hoffman—has played a major role.

The program is an indication of where Democrats stand on key issues, which will be an important signal to Harris about where the party base stands. The document was approved by the committee before Biden decided not to run again, and in its current form, it repeatedly refers to Biden’s “second term.” According to The Related PressParty Programme Committee co-chair Regina Romero told delegates that the programme nevertheless included contributions from many parts of the party and represented a “forward-looking vision for our party that reflects the voice of all”.

The document repeatedly refers to Biden’s “second term”

Although the platform predates the Democratic frontrunner’s transition, it, along with some other early indicators, paints a blurry picture of Harris’s stance on tech policy. Until now, it’s been difficult to ascertain her specific views on issues like antitrust enforcement and a potential TikTok ban, as she’s had little incentive to publicly deviate from President Biden’s views.

Now that Harris is the candidate, it is increasingly safe to assume that the Democratic Party’s platform and slate will reflect her agenda.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, who is seen by many progressives as pro-business, said in a speech on the first night of the Democratic convention that Harris would “build an economy with fair competition and without monopolies. Monopolies that crush workers, small businesses and startups.”

The Democrats’ 2024 platform also has a greater focus on protecting Americans from the potential dangers of technology. An entire section of the 2024 platform is dedicated to “protecting children online, strengthening Americans’ privacy protections, and promoting competition.” Harris has already come out in favor of the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act (KOSPA), which combines the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) with the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0), a bill that passed the Senate with 91 votes. The platform makes clear that such legislation will continue to be a priority, including another area that has been close to her heart since her time as a prosecutor and senator: combating nonconsensual intimate images.

An entire section of the 2024 platform is dedicated to “protecting children online, strengthening Americans’ privacy, and promoting competition.”

“Democrats will pass bipartisan legislation to protect children’s privacy and stop big tech companies from collecting personal information from children and teens online. They will ban targeted advertising to children and set stricter limits on the personal data these companies collect about all of us,” the platform says. “And the administration has strengthened legal protections for survivors and victims of non-consensual intimate images, including those generated by AI, building on the federal civil cause of action created by the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act of 2022.”

The platform is again calling for new laws to promote competition and privacy in the tech space, echoing the goals of a series of bills passed by the House Judiciary Committee in 2021. “Important measures include promoting interoperability between technology services and platforms, allowing users to control and transfer their data, and preventing large platforms from giving their own products and services an unfair advantage in the market,” the document says. It also calls for stronger data protections and “fundamental” reform of Section 230, which protects platforms from being held liable for their users’ posts and for moderating content.

There is also a section titled “Harnessing the Promises of AI and Managing Its Risks,” which addresses combating biases perpetuated by the technology and banning “voice messaging.” In 2020, the technology was only mentioned in the context of a broader discussion about technology and U.S. competitiveness.

The Republicans’ 2024 platform contains only three references to “competition,” two of which relate to protecting Americans from “unfair foreign competition.” Their promise on AI is to “repeal Joe Biden’s dangerous executive order that hampers AI innovation and imposes radical leftist ideas on the development of this technology.” In return, they promise “AI development grounded in free speech and human flourishing.”

“Our platform reflects our values, and after years of tech companies manipulating our economy, endangering people seeking reproductive care, and exacerbating the climate crisis, it’s clear that Democrats are now determined to hold them accountable,” Sacha Haworth, executive director of the Tech Oversight Project and a veteran Democratic campaign strategist, said in a statement. “This is thanks in large part to the leadership and willingness of President Biden and Vice President Harris to stand up to tech monopolies over the past four years, and we look forward to continuing this work with a future Harris-Waltz administration.”

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