Big Tech’s outsized influence over so many aspects of everyday life has become one of the biggest battlefronts in state legislatures. Scores of so-called “techlash” bills are being debated in dozens of statehouses, where lawmakers of both major parties are proposing rules related to antitrust, consumer privacy, taxes on digital ad sales, app store fees and speech on social media. The statehouse debates are taking on greater importance because congressional action is stalled. Tech giants such as Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google aren’t content to play defense and are working to kill legislation or write their own more favorable bills.
Big Tech’s outsized influence draws state-level pushback
