DuckDuckGo, Brave, Mozilla, others that proclaimed themselves as privacy-focused companies urged the U.S. Congress to cast their votes on the American Innovation and Choice Online Act.
The companies sent a letter to the U.S. Congress urging them to vote on the legislation that would rein in giant tech companies such as Alphabet's Google and Meta's Facebook, as per Reuters.
They legislation aims to ban "self-preferencing" of these big tech companies.
Companies Say Tech Giants Steer Consumers Away
According to CNET, if the bill would be approved, these big tech companies would be ban "from promoting their products on their platforms over their competitors."
This only imply that once you use Amazon to search for a product, the top results that would appear are not necessarily products being sold by Amazon.
The privacy-focused companies sent a letter to the Congress complaining that the strategies used by these big tech companies "steer consumers away" from competitors. Likewise, they complained that it restricts competition.
Moreover, the letter stipulated that big tech companies "used non-public data" for their benefit. With this, they make it "impossible or complicated" for consumers to modify the settings of their app.
In an email to CNET, Jennifer Hodges, the head of Mozilla's US public policy and government affairs group, said that "amaller, independent companies want to offer products that give people real control online."
However, because of harmful "self-preferencing practices" of big tech companies, what people experience online is dictated by the few tech giants.
Amid the call of these privacy-focused company, tech giants such as Apple and Google have expressed their stance against similar legislation.
According to Apple, after the left and right problems on the online platform, "it would be ironic if Congress responds by making it much harder to protect the privacy and security of Americans' personal devices."
Meanwhile, Google said that approving the bill would eventually lead to consumer getting worse, less relevant, and less helpful versions of products.
Read Also: Tech Giants are Challenging Didi's Dominance in China's Ride-Hailing Market
Senator Klobuchar Seeks Passage of the Bill
Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota, and Senator Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, introduced the American Innovation and Choice Online Act in October 2021.
Since the legislation was created, its versions have obtained bipartisan support from lawmakers. Among its supporters are Senator Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey, and Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina.
Klobuchar, a U.S. congressional leader on antitrust, has been urging the Senate to approve the bill. However, her efforts were to no avail.
According to Klobuchar, 60 votes are needed for the passage of the bill. However, given the situation, it seems that it won't become a law this year.
In July, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has been urged by supporters to schedule a vote on the bill. Now, the companies like DuckDuckGo and Mozilla are calling the attention of the Congress to vote on the said legislation.
According to Klobuchar, it is necessary to pass the legislation in order to "put rules of the road in place for dominant tech companies."
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