Big Tech’s takeaways from Trump summit
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s “social media summit” was almost a microcosm of what it’s like to be online in Trump’s Washington these days.
Memes were created in real time: Large posters of some of President Donald Trump’s most famous tweets were placed on stands.
And Trump, without a 280-character limit yesterday, gave wide-ranging remarks that were made-forviral moments. In addition to blasting the tech companies, he had colorful ways to describe his favorite tweets (“It’d be like a rocket ship when I put out a beauty”) and compared Twitter to a typewriter. He veered from talking about the weather on his Fourth of July celebration (“They learned it was my real hair that day because I was drenched”) to criticizing former California governor and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s performance on “The Apprentice.”
But beyond the circuslike atmosphere of the event, the conference had serious implications for Silicon Valley. It highlighted how the president’s attacks on Big Tech are creating more political jeopardy for the tech companies in Washington.
The Post reported that “the conference represented (Trump’s) highest-profile broadside against Silicon Valley after months of accusations that tech giants censor conservative users and websites.”
Though the companies have repeatedly denied these claims, multiple attendees exiting the event said that congressional Republicans appear poised to act. So what’s next?
1. The White House says more scrutiny is on the way. The tech companies weren’t at the White House yesterday, but Trump says the White House will have an event with them soon — and that their presence would be required. He also issued the following directive to his administration.
2. Congressional Republicans’ efforts might start with Sen. Marsha Blackburn. The Tennessee Republican said she’s moving ahead with a task force to study tech giants and “find answers to the issues of privacy and data security” as well as competition.
“I’m hearing from so many people who are saying, ‘We need to put some guard rails in place,’ because we’ve never done that,” Blackburn said. “This is not an industry in its infancy. This is an industry that is a mature industry at this point.”
3. Privacy concerns about Big Tech came up at the social media summit, too. Conservatives heard from House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy, a longtime critic of tech giants’ content moderation decisions. But he touched not just on bias but privacy, reiterating a belief that consumers should own their personal data — and that Congress may need to legislate.
McCarthy said in a statement he’s concerned about bias, but that isn’t the only tech issue that should concern Americans. “The collection and use of our data by technology companies must be met with a new privacy framework that allows each American to see our data, control our data, and delete our data,” McCarthy said. “As the digital age continues to grow, we will be relentless in our pursuit of accountability, innovation, and privacy.”
4. Sen. Josh Hawley got air time for his push to overhaul Section 230, a legal shield that protects tech platforms from liability for content people post on their sites. Hawley spoke about his efforts to make that legal immunity contingent on the companies’ ability to prove to the government that they are not discriminating against conservatives. Trump said Hawley is doing “important” work and that he will be in attendance at the White House’s upcoming meeting with the tech companies.
5. But the summit could make it harder for Republicans to work across the aisle on tech issues. Democrats sharply criticized the Trump administration for inviting controversial conservative provocateurs who are known for targeting Trump’s opponents with inflammatory tweets and misleading videos.