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Letter: Lee’s attacks on tech threaten American innovation

By Staff | Jan 20, 2022

Utah Senator Mike Lee seems to have an unhealthy obsession with American tech companies. His vendetta has led him to team up with Democrats like Senator Amy Klobuchar to unfairly punish innovative technology companies for doing their job successfully. The most concerning part is that legislation he is considering in the Senate Committee on the Judiciary will do more than punish technology companies, it will punish consumers, banning convenient services and tools for users.

A sweeping package of anti-competition antitrust legislation contains provisions to tear apart successful, American tech companies that includes a provision that bars self-preferencing is undergoing a markup this week. Self-preferencing is commonly known as the practice of a company favoring its own products and services in searches over rivals. Amazon Prime’s two-day shipping and the Google Maps widget are just a couple of the beloved outcomes of self-preferencing that are at risk in this legislation.

Antitrust laws, like this one, are meant to break apart monopolies that harm consumers with anti-competitive practices. However, tech companies are not harming consumers. In fact, they are doing the exact opposite by helping consumers with easy-to-use, convenient tools and products.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is debating and marking up this unfair legislation that will harm American innovation and outlaw tools that make our everyday lives easier. I encourage Senator Lee to snap out of it and come to terms with the truth: Big Tech makes our everyday lives easier, providing convenience at every turn. The bill must not leave the committee.

Tiffany Hanson, Salt Lake City

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