Tech CEO Hearing Is Important Step Forward in Asserting Rule Of Law

As the CEOs of Alphabet, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon testify before the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative law, Demand Progress Education Fund executive director David Segal released the following statement:

"The public and lawmakers are waking up to the need to assert democratic control over these companies and contend with their power and size -- and the various predatory behaviors they employ to assert their dominance. We hope that this hearing will feed into legislative and enforcement efforts -- but the mere fact that the CEOs of four of the six most valuable companies in the world, who operate in a sector that's for too-long been treated as though it's outside of the ambit of law and regulation, are testifying before Congress about the fundamental natures of their businesses is a critical step forward."

"There's nothing about the fact that the internet is a relatively new technology that should mystify lawmakers -- the tools that these companies are using to assert and protect their dominance have been in monopolists' playbooks for generations. Bringing these companies to heel is a simple matter of will, and demands action by the only force that is more powerful than they are: the government, acting on behalf of the public."