The U.S. government is contemplating a raft of initiatives for regulating Big Tech, meaning the largest digital enterprises such as Apple and Amazon. There are valid reasons for regulating the sector more tightly such as protecting privacy and suppressing illegal content, but many of the measures under consideration would increase costs and confusion without remedying the underlying problems they seek to address. One area of concern that has received scant attention is how the regulatory exertions might negatively impact national security by undermining the nation’s most innovative enterprises. Innovation is critical to staying ahead of China, and Big Tech enterprises are rated among the top innovators. Policymakers need to think through how their regulatory ideas, even with the best of intentions, might harm U.S. security and help China to displace America as the world’s most powerful player. I have written a commentary for Forbes here.
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