{"id":845026,"date":"2021-10-04T11:58:37","date_gmt":"2021-10-04T15:58:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=845026"},"modified":"2021-10-04T11:58:40","modified_gmt":"2021-10-04T15:58:40","slug":"exclusive-conservative-tech-groups-slam-ex-intelligence-officials-for-defending-monopolies-urge-passage-of-antitrust-bills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-conservative-tech-groups-slam-ex-intelligence-officials-for-defending-monopolies-urge-passage-of-antitrust-bills\/","title":{"rendered":"EXCLUSIVE: Conservative Tech Groups Slam Ex-Intelligence Officials For Defending Monopolies, Urge Passage Of Antitrust Bills"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fexclusive-conservative-tech-groups-slam-ex-intelligence-officials-for-defending-monopolies-urge-passage-of-antitrust-bills%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=845026&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><ul>\n<li><strong>Two conservative tech advocacy groups sent a letter to House lawmakers criticizing former national security officials for attempting to prevent the passage of antitrust bills targeting Big Tech. The officials argued that breaking up major tech companies could degrade American innovation and threaten national security.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201cBig Tech\u2019s paid allies are actively and aggressively lobbying Congress, making every argument under the sun to stop overwhelmingly popular reforms to rein in Big Tech\u2019s monopolistic practices,\u201d Mike Davis, Founder and President of the Internet Accountability Project, told the Daily Caller News Foundation.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>The groups cited several instances of tech companies investing and doing business with China, such as Amazon\u2019s contract&nbsp;with Chinese technology company Dahua that had been blacklisted by the U.S. over human rights concerns, and Google\u2019s scrapped plans&nbsp;to launch a censored version of its search engine in China.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201cBy allowing these companies to become monopolies, we have given China a competitive advantage because all it must do is gain control over one key input these companies need, and they will be forced to look out for Chinese interests over America\u2019s,\u201d the groups wrote.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Two conservative tech advocacy groups sent a letter to House lawmakers criticizing former national security officials for attempting to prevent the passage of antitrust bills targeting Big Tech.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/theiap.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Letter-on-NatSec-Big-Tech.pdf\">letter<\/a>, sent by the Internet Accountability Project (IAP) and the American Principles Project (APP) to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy along with lawmakers responsible for overseeing antitrust legislation, urged Congress to pass six <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/06\/24\/bills-combatting-big-techs-monopolistic-practices-closer-law-bipartisan\/\">bills<\/a>&nbsp;targeting major tech companies advanced beyond the House Judiciary Committee in June. The letter also criticized twelve former intelligence officials who sent a <a href=\"https:\/\/s3.documentcloud.org\/documents\/21062393\/national-security-letter-on-antitrust.pdf\">letter<\/a>&nbsp;to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy arguing against the passage of antitrust bills in mid-September.<\/p>\n<p>The twelve former intelligence officials warned that breaking up Big Tech could make the U.S. less competitive with China and compromise America\u2019s national security. Every single member of the group, including former Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, had noteworthy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2021\/09\/22\/former-security-officials-antitrust-tech-ties-513657\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">financial<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/09\/16\/big-tech-google-facebook-mark-zuckerberg\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ties<\/a>&nbsp;to major tech companies&nbsp;\u201cfrom working with them directly or serving with organizations that get money from them,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2021\/09\/22\/former-security-officials-antitrust-tech-ties-513657\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according<\/a> to Politico.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_6689481\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" readability=\"37\">\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-6689481\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former U.S. Senator Dan Coats testifies during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Select Intelligence Committee to be the next Director of National Intelligence in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill February 28, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The IAP and APP told lawmakers that the tech companies\u2019 size and anticompetitive business practices were a greater threat to American\u2019s competitiveness with China than the antitrust bills. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/09\/17\/arizona-blake-masters-big-tech-google-facebook\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(RELATED: Arizona Senate Candidate Blake Masters Plans To Tackle Big Tech\u2019s \u2018Predatory\u2019 Business Practices)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe disagree with the premise that restoring competition to the American digital sector will harm our national security,\u201d the groups wrote. \u201cBy allowing these companies to become monopolies, we have given China a competitive advantage because all it must do is gain control over one key input these companies need, and they will be forced to look out for Chinese interests over America\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The groups cited several instances of tech companies investing and doing business with China, including Amazon\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-health-coronavirus-amazon-com-cameras\/exclusive-amazon-turns-to-chinese-firm-on-u-s-blacklist-to-meet-thermal-camera-needs-idUSKBN22B1AL\">contract<\/a>&nbsp;with Chinese technology company Dahua that had been blacklisted by the U.S. over human rights concerns, and Google\u2019s scrapped <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2018\/08\/01\/google-china-search-engine-censorship\/\">plans<\/a>&nbsp;to launch a censored version of its search engine in China.<\/p>\n<p>The groups also questioned the former national security officials\u2019 motivations for attempting to stop the passage of the antitrust bills.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBig Tech\u2019s paid allies are actively and aggressively lobbying Congress, making every argument under the sun to stop overwhelmingly popular reforms to rein in Big Tech\u2019s monopolistic practices,\u201d Mike Davis, Founder and President of the Internet Accountability Project, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. \u201cTheir driving motivation is profit, and that\u2019s why they\u2019re trying so hard to stop bipartisan legislation making its way through Congress.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7283126\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" readability=\"38\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7283126\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7283126\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/leonpanetta-scaled-e1631723644612.jpg\" alt=\"Former Secretary of Defense and director of the Central Intelligence Agency Leon Panetta discuss his new book, &#039;Worthy Fights,&#039; during an event in the Jack Morton Auditorium at George Washington University October 14, 2014 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla\/Getty Images)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/leonpanetta-scaled-e1631723644612.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/leonpanetta-scaled-e1631723644612-279x120.jpg 279w, https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/leonpanetta-scaled-e1631723644612-620x266.jpg 620w, https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/leonpanetta-scaled-e1631723644612-768x330.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/leonpanetta-scaled-e1631723644612-1536x660.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/leonpanetta-scaled-e1631723644612-2048x880.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-7283126\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former Secretary of Defense and director of the Central Intelligence Agency Leon Panetta discuss his new book, \u2018Worthy Fights,\u2019 during an event in the Jack Morton Auditorium at George Washington University October 14, 2014 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The antitrust bills aim to promote greater competition in digital markets by increasing data portability, making it harder for tech companies to acquire competitors and preventing platforms from prioritizing their own services. The former national security officials argued the bills would \u201cdegrade critical R&amp;D priorities, allow foreign competitors to displace leaders in the U.S. tech sector both at home and abroad, and potentially put sensitive U.S. data and IP in the hands of Beijing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The IAP and APP argued that the antitrust bills would improve American companies\u2019 innovation and fortify the U.S. tech sector\u2019s position in global markets by further enabling and incentivizing competition. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/07\/26\/big-tech-terrorism-global-internet-forum-to-counter-terrorism-tech-against-terrorism-far-right\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(RELATED: Big Tech\u2019s Anti-Terrorism Task Force Begins Tracking Far-Right Militias As Extremist Groups)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cPreventing already-dominant Big Tech firms from swallowing what remains of their competition, will spur innovation and restore incentives for entrepreneurs to found startups,\u201d the groups\u2019 letter read.<\/p>\n<p>While the House has yet to debate the antitrust bills, lawmakers in the Senate are <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/09\/10\/tom-cotton-josh-hawley-big-tech-bills\/\">working<\/a>&nbsp;on companion legislation. The bills have significant bipartisan support, with Republicans such as Reps. <a href=\"https:\/\/buck.house.gov\/media-center\/press-releases\/house-lawmakers-release-series-bills-aimed-taking-big-tech-s-monopoly\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ken Buck<\/a> and Lance Gooden, along with Sens. Josh Hawley and Tom Cotton, working with Democrats including Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Rep. David Cicilline, to pass the antitrust package.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese bills will ensure America can be the force for good that it has been for the past 245 years,\u201d the IAP and APP wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact <a href=\"mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two conservative tech advocacy groups sent a letter to House lawmakers criticizing former national security officials for attempting to prevent the passage of antitrust bills targeting Big Tech. The officials &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-845026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/845026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=845026"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/845026\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=845026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=845026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=845026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}