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No Longer Enamored, Washington Looks Critically at Silicon Valley

Michelle Quinn

   SAN FRANCISCO - The era of Silicon Valley operating largely free from
   government regulation may be coming to an end.

   In 2019, lawmakers grilled tech executives at multiple hearings in
   Washington and federal regulators slapped record fines on tech firms.
   They promise action in the coming year on a host of issues:
   competition, online privacy, encryption and bias.

   U.S. tech companies such as Apple, Facebook, Google and Amazon are
   girding themselves for more federal scrutiny.

   "As the internet companies matured without a lot of regulation, some
   issues have emerged where attention is needed," said Rep. Zoe Lofgren,
   a Democrat representing Silicon Valley since 1994 and who has
   introduced a national online privacy bill.

   "I think it's fair enough to examine what kind of rules should be set
   in certain elements of the tech economy," she said.

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