2018 hopefuls set their sights on tech

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Progressive candidates have laid out a series of sweeping policy proposals in their 2018 campaigns, including plans for the tech sector. With breakout Democratic candidates like New York’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez coming out in favor of aggressive measures to curb tech, we surveyed the landscape to gauge where other progressives stand on key issues like data privacy and antitrust. 

“Monopoly power”: Dana Balter, the Democratic nominee for New York’s 24th congressional district, said tech and telecom companies hold too much power over their users' data. "Simply put, big companies have access to an extraordinary amount of our personal information with remarkably few limits on what they can do with it,” she said. “To make matters worse, we are seeing merger after merger, further concentrating power and control in the hands of fewer companies.” Balter, who’s drawn the support of progressive groups like the Bernie Sanders-led Our Revolution, added, “This is why Congress needs to stand strong against the rise of monopoly power and protect the rights of the individual.” Not all progressive candidates, though, favor harsh measures. "Breaking up such companies could be very disruptive and ineffective," said Tedra Cobb, the Democratic nominee for New York’s 21st congressional district. “Doing so has to be weighed against good government oversight and regulation." Sanjay Patel, the Democratic nominee in Florida’s 8th congressional district, said there are ways to rein in tech companies other than through antitrust enforcement. “This means addressing the lack of financial regulation, the corporate welfare, the tax loopholes, and mistreatment of workers,” he said.


Liberal 2018 hopefuls set their sights on tech