The battle for the 2024 presidential throne between US Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump has entered its final stage, with differing views on the country’s future but occasional similarities in their technology policies.
From antitrust policies towards big tech companies to the debate on whether to ban TikTok and how to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) and handle cryptocurrencies, let’s delve into the stances of these two presidential candidates.
During Trump’s first term as President, his Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed antitrust suits against Google, Facebook, Instagram’s parent company Meta, Amazon, and Apple.
After Biden took office, these agencies continued to intensify antitrust enforcement, not only initiating lawsuits against Amazon and Apple but also a second suit against Google. A federal judge ruled in August this year that Google had engaged in illegal monopolization in the online search market.
Reports from the “Hill” suggested that Trump’s running mate and Republican Senator JD Vance’s comments on these issues might indicate a trend towards further strengthening antitrust enforcement against big tech companies if Trump wins the election.
In February, Vance expressed support for FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan, whose actions have been controversial even within the Democratic Party.
Vance said, “Many of my Republican colleagues view Lina Khan this way…they say, ‘Well, Lina Khan is up to some kind of fundamental evil.’ I believe Lina Khan is one of the few people in the Biden administration who is doing a pretty good job.”
However, Trump’s final stance on these matters remains to be seen. In an interview with Bloomberg in October, he expressed skepticism about breaking up Google, stating that doing so might benefit China but also acknowledging Google’s immense power.
“It’s a very dangerous thing because we want to have great companies. We don’t want China to have these companies. Right now, China is scared of Google,” Trump said.
It is still unclear to what extent Kamala Harris’s antitrust approach towards big tech companies will align with Biden’s policies.
In her policy platform, Harris promises to “combat anti-competitive practices that allow big companies to raise prices, disrupt competition, as competition fuels all businesses’ growth while keeping prices low for consumers.”
One key pressure point facing the Democratic Party is whether Harris, if elected, will retain Lina Khan. Some of Harris’s wealthy supporters, such as LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and IAC Chairman Barry Diller, have publicly urged her to replace the FTC chair.
Billionaire investor Mark Cuban, a major endorser of Harris, also expressed concerns about Lina Khan in early October.
As artificial intelligence (AI) usage increases in recent years, debates surrounding the pros and cons of this advanced technology have intensified.
The Biden administration issued an executive order last year regarding AI, emphasizing leveraging the advantages of the technology while managing its risks.
Trump’s campaign team believed that Biden’s AI executive order was “dangerous” and vowed to abolish it.
Trump’s policy agenda stated that Biden’s order “imposes radical left-wing ideology on the development of this technology” and that Trump’s support for AI development would be rooted in “free speech and human prosperity.”
When Trump signed an executive order concerning AI technology in 2019, it was seen as opening a new battleground for the US against China in the technology sector. The order proposed a national plan to maintain America’s leadership in AI development and weaken China’s momentum in the field. It also directed all US federal agencies to focus on expanding AI initiatives.
In the final months of Trump’s first term, he signed another order to promote the federal government’s use of “trustworthy” AI technology.
Now, Harris’s campaign team proposes a “historic investment” to expand national AI research resources permanently, ensuring America’s leadership in the field over China.
Harris, who hails from California, has built relationships with leaders in the Silicon Valley tech industry during her tenure in the San Francisco Bay Area.
According to Harris’s campaign policy and economic opportunity handbook, she plans to continue fulfilling the commitments outlined in Biden’s AI executive order.
Harris conveyed this viewpoint to the Biden administration, aligning with her speech at the global “AI Safety Summit” held in London last year. Then, she highlighted the potential role of AI in climate, medicine, and science and explicitly stated that the US must be able to protect the public while promoting innovation.
“We reject the false choice that President Biden and I believe we have to protect the public or advance innovation. We can and must do both…This is a moment of opportunity. The benefits of AI are enormous,” Harris said.
Both Harris and Trump have used the topic of digital currencies to attract voters during this year’s election campaign, indicating their acceptance of cryptocurrencies to a certain extent, differing from Biden’s stance.
The Biden administration has had a critical stance on cryptocurrencies, but it has not been well-received. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) under Chairman Gary Gensler has faced resistance over its cryptocurrency regulatory policies.
Harris seeks to distinguish her approach from the Biden administration’s tactics.
In September, during a Wall Street fundraising event, Harris made one of her strongest statements yet regarding digital currencies, telling Wall Street donors, “We will encourage innovative technologies like AI and digital assets while protecting investors and consumers.”
Cuban has also advocated for cryptocurrencies, criticizing the Biden administration’s hardline stance. In September, he stated that Harris explicitly supports advancing new technologies and “hopes we continue to be leaders in technology fields like AI and cryptocurrencies.”
Trump had initially viewed cryptocurrencies as a “scam” but has significantly shifted his position. During the presidential campaign, Trump promised to make America the “epicenter of Earth’s cryptocurrency” if re-elected, emphasizing the importance of maintaining an advantage over foreign competitors in cryptocurrency technology.
His senior advisor, Brian Hughes, told the “Hill” that President Trump is a true supporter of cryptocurrencies, while Harris and the Democratic Party’s policies stifle cryptocurrencies.
Hughes wrote, “No presidential candidate supports the cryptocurrency community more than President Trump. While Harris-Biden administration stifles innovations through increased regulation and taxation, the cryptocurrency community knows that President Trump is the only candidate prepared to encourage America to lead in these technologies and other emerging technologies.”
In September, Trump and his sons launched a new cryptocurrency platform called “World Liberty Financial.”
“If we don’t do it, China will,” Trump said during the launch of his family’s new cryptocurrency platform, emphasizing the need to bolster cryptocurrency development in the US because “China will do it anyway. But if we don’t, we won’t be the biggest. We must be the biggest and the best.”
Trump’s campaign platform states that Republicans will “end the Democratic Party’s illegal and un-American oppression of cryptocurrencies and oppose the creation of central bank digital currencies.”
The platform further states, “We will defend the right to mine ‘Bitcoin’ and ensure every American has the right to self-custody their digital assets and transact without government surveillance and control.”
Trump emphasized that if re-elected, he would not allow the creation of a central bank digital currency, which he considers a “dangerous threat to freedom.” He also stressed the need to mine all remaining bitcoins in the US.
Earlier this year, legislation was passed in Congress to compel TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to either divest TikTok or face a US ban. Harris and the Biden administration supported these efforts.
In an interview in March, Harris acknowledged the benefits TikTok brings to users, emphasizing that the goal of the legislation was not to ban the app.
Speaking on ABC’s “This Week,” Harris said, “In terms of its services, it’s a source of income for many people. It allows people to freely share information and have discussions, which is very important.”
However, Harris also expressed concerns about the impact of TikTok’s Chinese ownership on national security, stating, “We are indeed concerned about the impact of TikTok’s owner regarding national security. That’s our position, and I think we need to take measures to address these concerns.”
In April this year, President Biden signed the bill, giving ByteDance about nine months to find a buyer for TikTok; otherwise, it will face a ban in US networks and app stores. If necessary, ByteDance may be given an additional 90 days to sell TikTok. If no divestment occurs, the ban will take effect on January 19, 2025.
Soon after President Biden signed the bill, TikTok and ByteDance sued the US government, alleging that the law violated the First Amendment of the US Constitution on the freedom of speech. Both parties have requested the court to rule by December 6 this year to allow the Supreme Court to weigh in before the ban goes into effect.
During his first term, Trump had sought to ban TikTok but faced opposition from the Democratic Party in court. Now, Trump’s stance has also evolved as TikTok’s user base has significantly grown compared to four years ago, particularly among young people. He believes that banning TikTok would benefit Facebook and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
“If you take out TikTok, then Facebook and Zuckerberg will double their business. I don’t want Facebook, who cheated in the last election, doing better. They are the real enemies of the people!” Trump said.
In a campaign ad in September, Trump urged Americans to vote for him to “save TikTok.”
“We’re not going to do anything to TikTok, but the other side (referring to the Democrats) will shut it down. So, if you like TikTok, get out there and vote for Trump. If you don’t care about TikTok—if you don’t care about things like security, protection, and prosperity—you can vote for a Marxist who will destroy our country,” Trump said.
Although Harris and Trump have differing views on TikTok, both of them created TikTok accounts before the election, attempting to attract the support of American youth through the app.
In recent years, social media companies have faced increasing pressure and scrutiny over their handling of user safety and privacy. Much of the discussion has been concentrated on the impact of these platforms on children.
In July, Harris expressed support for the “Kids Online Safety Act” (KOSA), a federal measure aimed at enhancing children’s online safety and privacy protection.
The KOSA received overwhelming support in the Senate but remains stalled in the House of Representatives. The bill aims to regulate online features provided by tech and social media companies for children, intending to reduce children’s addiction to these platforms.
“I applaud the Senate for passing the ‘Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act’ today. This bipartisan legislation will help protect children’s mental health, safety, and online privacy. My entire career has been dedicated to fighting for the welfare of children, and I urge Congress to pass this bill as we continue to invest in our children and their well-being,” Harris wrote on social media platform X in July.
Trump has not widely discussed children’s online safety and data privacy issues.
Harris has not specifically addressed data privacy issues either, but her past actions regarding the issue suggest she would prioritize protecting consumer data.
During her tenure as California Attorney General, Harris founded the “Privacy Enforcement and Protection Unit” in 2012, focusing on consumer and individual privacy protection, reaching agreements with mobile applications that year to enhance privacy protection measures.