Google and Meta are at the forefront of a fierce push to repeal a New York state bill aimed at protecting children online. And spending in the controversial lobbying battle is on track to exceed $1 million, the Post reported.
A group of Big Tech companies, advocacy groups, and companies from other sectors has announced that two high-profile bills, the Stop Addictive Feed Exploitation of Children (SAFE) Act and the New York State Children’s Data Protection Act, will remain in Albany until mid-March. He spent $823,235 lobbying members of Congress. – According to recent public information, progress towards voting.
“That’s an astonishing amount of money to kill two good bills,” said one longtime Albany official, who requested anonymity to discuss the lobbying effort.
The SAFE Act cracks down on addictive recommendation algorithms used by social media apps by requiring them to provide a default chronological feed to users under 18 without parental consent. It becomes. It will also allow parents to impose time limits on social media use and in-app notifications.
The Children’s Data Protection Act would block apps from collecting or selling personal or location data from users under 18 without the user’s consent. Children under 13 require parental consent.
The disclosure forms show each company’s total spending on bills on the table in New York, including the online safety bill, but do not reveal the companies’ stances on specific bills.
The true extent of Big Tech’s spending to derail the bill is difficult, if not impossible, to determine, but the amount is expected to exceed $1 million when the next round of disclosures surfaces next month. expected, the official said.
“This bill could be called ‘historic’ in the sense that it has a relatively small impact on the state compared to other issues that attract lobbyist attention,” said Common, a Capitol Hill veteran. Danny Weiss, Chief Advocacy Officer, Sense Media. , support the bill.
cannabis industry spent millions of dollars over several years To legalize marijuana in New York. In 2022, a group of landowners and their advocates It reportedly spent $1.4 million lobbying against the passage of new protections for tenants.
“They’re putting a lot of money into fighting these bills as if they pose an existential threat to New York,” Weiss said of the attacks by Big Tech companies.
Both bills were supported last fall by Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and state Attorney General Letitia James. At a press conference in January, Hochul described social media as “the silent killer of our children’s generation.”
The two bills are expected to pass out of a state House committee this week and then be voted on in the House. The state Senate is expected to vote on the bill soon.
More than 25 other groups have also expressed support for the bill, including Mothers Against Media Addiction and the New York State United Teachers Union.
Tech companies say the bill would stifle free speech and online privacy for teens, limit internet access for immigrants and other underserved communities, and substantially improve algorithms to help police hate speech. The government is fighting back, citing concerns that it could invalidate the system.
State Sen. Andrew Gounardes, a co-sponsor of the bill, said opponents are funding an aggressive “whisper campaign” in Albany aimed at delaying or defeating the bill.
“It certainly makes the job much more difficult, because these companies have unlimited resources and can hire armies of lobbyists who just camp out in the capital all day long,” Gounardes said. . “Deputies come and go, but these people are whispering in everyone’s ears.”
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is already facing a massive federal lawsuit over allegations that its apps profited while fueling the teen mental health crisis, but it’s also facing big tech bills and state legislation. Spent the most on lobbying related to agenda items and information disclosure. showed that.
A Meta spokesperson said the company supports a federal law that would require app stores to provide parental approval for apps downloaded by children under 16, rather than a state-by-state solution.
“Teens move between many websites and apps, and varying laws from state to state make it difficult for teens and their parents to be consistent online,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement. It will be an experience like no other.”
“As we continue to work with the New York State Legislature, it is important that we avoid stopgap solutions and support legislation that actually empowers parents and supports teens online.” the official added.
Other top spending companies include Google and TikTok. The latter filed a federal lawsuit to block the proposed sale, which would have severed ties with Chinese ownership, citing national security concerns.
Despite persistent opposition, the bill appears to be moving toward approval. The SAFE Act has 94 sponsors in the state Legislature, including 81 Democrats and 13 Republicans. There are 25 sponsors in the state Senate, including 21 Democrats and four Republicans.
“There is significant bipartisan support for both bills in the Senate,” Gounardes said.
“Right now, I feel pretty confident that we can do something important for kids on social media during this legislative session,” the state senator said.
Additionally, tech giants that have disclosed lobbying efforts on one or both of the bills include PayPal, Roblox, Snap, and Block.
A Roblox spokesperson said the company supports the intent of the two bills, but declined to provide further details. A representative for another company, eBay, who appeared in the filing said the company has not yet taken a position on either bill.
A Block spokesperson acknowledged that the company has been lobbying on the Children’s Data Protection Act and said it supports the bill, with some amendments.
Other major opponents lobbying against the bill include influential industry groups such as Tech:NYC and TechNet.
In a February memo seen by the Post, Tech:NYC claimed that the two bills have “inconsistent” age verification policies, and that the two bills have “inconsistent” age verification policies, including those used for verification, such as ID or credit card scans. They argued that the common practice of doing so would fuel data privacy concerns.
“We continue to have productive discussions with legislators and community groups about these bills. We will continue to have productive discussions with legislators and community groups about these bills. Because we all want to find a path forward that allows us to do that without ordering,” said Julie Samuels, president and CEO of Tech:NYC.
Critics say participants in the PR campaign to repeal the bill include traditional white-shoe lobbying firms and others masquerading as grassroots movements but are actually funded by Big Tech money. This includes the so-called “astroturf” group that is being offered.
One example is a group called the New York Inclusive Internet Coalition, which is supported by Tech:NYC and has the same spokesperson.
A spokesperson for Tech:NYC denied claims that it was conducting a space turf attack, insisting that working with local community groups is core to its mission.
Another major proxy is the Chamber of Progress, an advocacy group funded by big tech companies that advances the industry’s agenda at the national and state level.
