State AGs put tech giants on notice: 'Something must be done with these companies ... they have become too big'
- The attorney general for Louisiana, Jeff Landry, has described a growing unease among US attorneys general about the power of tech companies like Google, Facebook, and Amazon.
- Landry told SiriusXM's "Breitbart News Daily" show that "all actions" are being considered by his peers when it comes to reining-in the Silicon Valley behemoths.
- His comments come amid a growing, bipartisan wave of hostility against big tech in recent months, with major Democrat and Republican figures expressing concern.
A US attorney general has said "all actions" are on the table when it comes to curbing the power of tech giants like Google, Facebook, and Amazon.
Speaking to SiriusXM's "Breitbart News Daily" radio show, Jeff Landry, the attorney general for Louisiana, described a growing sense of unease among his peers regarding the size of the tech giants.
"A handful of companies have am massed a tremendous amount of data and power over the US and world economy," he said.
"When you talk to attorneys general around the country - irrespective of whether they're Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative - there is an instinct that something is going on, there is this instinctive feeling that something must be done with these companies, that they have become too big."
He added that US attorneys general will be meeting potentially as early as next Monday to discuss possible antitrust regulation against big tech.
"In a couple of weeks... there's a roundtable being conducted by attorneys general in front of the FEC [Federal Election Commission] to discuss this, to discuss the harm that it's placing on consumers, whether or not it will lead to antitrust action against the companies, or whether or not we should be looking more carefully on any mergers or consolidations or buyouts by these tech companies," Landry said.
The Republican added that history has shown that there could be the appetite to stand up to big tech companies if there is a view among voters that they have grown too powerful.
"Historically, when corporations in this country, in our free market economy, have amassed monopolistic power - power to basically control the economy - the people have stood up and said, 'Enough is enough. Something must be done.' There's been a lot of positive that has come out of government taking action in this type of matter," he explained.
Read more: An internet pioneer is doubtful Mark Zuckerberg can refocus Facebook on privacy. Here's why.
Landry's comments come amid a growing wave of hostility towards the tech giants from major political figures across the political spectrum.
Last September, the Department of Justice said former US Attorney General Jeff Sessions was open to investigating whether the Silicon Valley behemoths were stifling free speech and competition, while in November, President Donald Trump said his administration was "looking at" whether Google, Facebook, and Amazon were violating antitrust laws.
Earlier this month, 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren outlined a detailed agenda for breaking up the big tech firms, while in February, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez led a successful campaign to stop Amazon building its HQ2 headquarters in New York.
Although big tech firms have largely shied away from responding to politicians' comments directly, some are attempting to get ahead of potential new regulations, such as federal privacy laws.
In a blog earlier this month setting out his manifesto for Facebook's future, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said he wants the company to become a "privacy-focused platform," boosting end-to-end encryption and giving people more control over their history.