President-elect Donald Trump retakes the White House, marking a new dawn for his legacy in the world of technology. With exemplary timing, the technology industry's current woes perfectly inform his signature brand of disruption. This is a winning playbook.
First, Mr. Trump must uphold the principle of free speech. he has ever strong critic An overview of social media companies' content moderation practices. This criticism is shared by most Americans. a 2024 Pew Research Poll It found that 83% of Americans believe social media giants are “censoring political views with which they disagree.” In fact, Trump experienced censorship firsthand during his time in office. Launch from all major platforms At the end of his first term.
President Trump said freedom of speech is important. the foundation of our republic. A new term could strengthen this sacred right in classic Trumpian fashion by breaking away from the efforts of both parties. punish tech companies About moderation policies — whether or not. Too generous (Democratic Party) or Too strict (Republican).
Such restrictions on online speech create a volatile web that could ensnare even his own Truth Social platform and Elon Musk's X, punishing them for their political bias. There are better ways to uphold the principles of free speech, such as giving people control over their content and data.
Second, he should defend antitrust law. Several landmark antitrust lawsuits against Big Tech were launched during the first Trump administration. These include the Department of Justice Lawsuit against Google and the Federal Trade Commission. Lawsuit against Meta.
Both cases are now front and center. On August 5th, Google was convicted of a crime Establishing an illegal monopoly. November 20th, Department of Justice announced Along with other big changes, the company is reportedly trying to force Google to spin off Chrome. A few days later, on November 25, a federal judge ruled that the FTC's antitrust case against Meta would go to trial on April 14, despite Meta's repeated efforts to delay and dismiss the case. .
This is all in Trump's hands. By supporting the breakup of these giants, his actions will reinvigorate free markets. Supercharging classic capitalismand giving American consumers more choice than ever before.
President Trump expressed support for strong antitrust enforcement in his presidential address on December 10th. Andrew Ferguson's selection Becomes FTC Chairman. ferguson said He said he wants the FTC to “continue its scrutiny of the dominance of the largest technology platforms.” Then, on December 4, President Trump nominated Gayle Slater, an economic policy advisor to Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, to head the Justice Department's antitrust division. Notably, Vance Praising current FTC Chair Lina Khan, As recently as July, he was praised for doing a “pretty good job,'' and he supports it. disband google.
Coincidentally, disbanding Meta is also in the interests of both Mr. Trump and Mr. Musk. For the first time, the country elected a president who owns a social media platform. With Meta's breakup, users will flock to smaller platforms like Truth Social, X, Bluesky, and Mastodon. This usher in a new vibrant and competitive social media environment.
Third, free markets should be strengthened beyond antitrust enforcement. as professional business capitalistthere are several steps the next president could take to revitalize the technology market.
During President Trump's first term, Criticized Section 230 The Communications Decency Act is the cornerstone of the Internet Since 1996. He argued that repealing it would strengthen free speech and rein in Big Tech. Benefiting from the insights gleaned during President Trump's two terms, he can now pivot to supporting 230 people for these very purposes. Here's why:
Revoking Section 230 would likely lead to censorship overcorrection. Tech platforms will scrub sites for even mildly controversial content in an effort to avoid potential lawsuits. Ironically, this will be a windfall for big tech companies like Meta and Google. Their business will not be hampered, but smaller platforms like Truth Social, Bluesky, and Mastodon without deep pockets or armies of lawyers will be wiped out by legal costs.
Similarly, Mr. Trump may support legislation to break down Big Tech companies. walled garden Through data and content interoperability. For example, bipartisan Access method Platforms with more than 100 million active users are required to provide the ability for users to port their data to other platforms. In line with this, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the web, created technologies and protocols for data interoperability. “Solid Pod”. This could become a legal standard. They are also the best remedy for circumventing the ability of certain platforms to control content and preserving free speech online.
Fourth, we should uphold historic protections for children and privacy. On November 22nd, President Trump announced strong support for appointing family physicians and emergency physicians to protect children. Janet Neshewat As his Surgeon General. Nesheiwat I made a headline Most recently, for calling for a ban on social media for children and teenagers. This is in line with recent action by the Australian government, which ruled on 28 November that: Social media platforms must ban children under 16. Of note is the relationship between President Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. “Very good” relationship.
This is the perfect jump start for the next president. There is a new bipartisan momentum in Congress that could help Mr. Trump cross the finish line (and take credit for doing so). In July, by an overwhelming vote of 91-3, senate I passed the Kids online safety lawand Children and Youth Online Privacy Protection Act. The bills now in the House of Representatives would be the most comprehensive legislation to protect children online in American history.
At the same time, there are signs that President Trump, in his second term, will support strong data privacy rights for children and Americans of all ages. In April of this year, there was debate over the reauthorization of FISA Section 702, which allows the government to spy on digital communications. countless American citizens –Trump came out. strongly oppose it.
The United States is currently The only G-20 outlier Without national privacy laws. This is a promising bill. American Privacy Rights Actis already on the table. enjoy rare bipartisan support From both houses. If the bill passes, Trump will be hailed as a privacy hero.
Fifth, significant penalties should be imposed for violations. Big tech has long treated regulatory fines as just another thing. Operating expenses. Meta evaluation significantly increased The day the FTC announced $5 billion in fines for mishandling Data for 220 million Americans in Cambridge Analytica scandalfor example. When Trump takes office again, he could increase the volume of his policies so that new legislation will be sharper. similar laws UK online safety law Companies will be held accountable and executives will be held accountable. Willful violations of laws that protect the privacy of children, users, and data are punishable by prison terms. It's time to get tough on technology law violators and protect Americans.
Trump's re-election marks a turning point for the world of technology. The next administration has the influence, momentum, and qualifications to usher in historic technology changes that will benefit generations of Americans.
mark weinstein He is a technology thought leader, privacy expert, and one of the inventors of social networking. He is the author of “.Regain your sanity online: An innovative social framework” (Wiley, 2024).
