US lawmakers continue to exhibit worrying ignorance when facing tech challenges

A grilling of Google chief Sundar Pichai revealed that Congress is still searching for a clue. The US lawmakers he faced on Tuesday failed to land a blow, and seemed ill informed about what the search engine actually does. The knowledge gap is risky for tech firms because it increases the risk of regulation that misses the mark.

Pichai is the latest in a parade of tech executives who have faced the Washington treatment over the last year. Legislators are angry about the possible effect of social media on elections, data breaches, perceived partisan bias and other issues. Top lawyers for Facebook, Twitter and Google testified before Congress in October 2017. Mark Zuckerberg followed in April. His deputy Sheryl Sandberg and Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey got their turn in September.

After all that face time, politicians should be up to speed. They’re not. Several lawmakers asked Pichai questions about the iPhone, made by Apple. Congressman Steve Cohen asked Pichai to set up an “online Google school” and a telephone help line in which users could talk to actual people. There were probing queries, but they were few. Representative Doug Collins ticked through a list of factors including GPS and WiFi to ask Pichai if Google collects data. It’s worrying, because Congress faces the task of working out how to increase privacy standards and spur competition. Congressman Steve King, who criticized Google for a bias against conservatives and Republicans, said the company should release the names of the more than 1,000 employees on its search team so lawmakers can study their social media comments for any partisanship. If it declined, he suggested Google publicize its search algorithms.

Lawmakers are not expected to be tech experts and rely on their staff to brief them on issues. But it is their responsibility to be sufficiently informed that they can effectively question executives and hammer out useful legislation.

Besides, complex topics are nothing new. Most members of Congress were not familiar with over-the-counter derivatives until they put together the postfinancial crisis Dodd-Frank legislation in 2010. Their plan requiring central clearing for swaps was praised even by the banking industry. If tech regulation is going to be effective without being excessively onerous – or focused on the wrong issues – lawmakers have some brushing up to do.

The author is Gina Chon, a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The article was first published on Reuters Breakingviews. bizopinion@globaltimes.com.cn