Here’s How Dem Candidates Stand on Net Neutrality, Online Privacy

According to a study published in January, as AVN.com reported, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren had the best internet technology platforms of any candidates in the 2020 Democratic presidential campaign. They two senators, generally considered the two most leftward-leaning in the Democratic field, received that rating from the nonprofit group Free Press Action despite both voting in favor of FOSTA/SESTA in 2018—the law supposedly designed to combat “sex trafficking” that actually creates a large loophole in Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which provides the basis for online freedom of expression. On Thursday, however, a new overview by the tech news site CNet reviewed the tech-related policy positions held by the top six remaining Democratic candidates—and found that most, but not all, are strong advocates of the open internet. On the net neutrality issue, both Sanders and Warren have proven to be strong advocates for the rules that guarantee equal access to the internet for all content providers. Both have promised to restore the Obama-era rules that were repealed in 2018 by the Republican-controlled Federal Communications Commission. Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg has also pledged to make net neutrality rules “the law of the land.” As mayor of the small city, he signed a pledge to prevent internet access providers from blocking or slowing “government content” online. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar has also said that she would put “strong” net neutrality rules in place during her first 100 days in office. But even though the now-repealed net neutrality ruled were put into place under the Barack Obama administration, Obama’s Vice President Joe Biden has not committed to support net neutrality rules should he become president himself.   Biden also holds a close relationship with the top executives at Comcast, a major internet access provider that has lobbied against net neutrality rules. Finally, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has made no known statement on net neutrality one way or the other, according to the CNet report. On the issue of online privacy, Biden’s record is also iffy. He has said little about the topic on the campaign trail, but according to CNet supported the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, which requires makers of smartphones and other devices to help police eavesdrop on online traffic. Bloomberg said he supports passing data privacy laws, while both Sanders and Warren call for top executives of tech companies to face criminal penalties over data privacy breaches.  Klobuchar’s position is weaker, supporting only a “data dividend” which would levy an additional tax on companies that sell user data, supposedly returning the funds to U.S. taxpayers, somehow. Buttigieg’s primary online privacy position, according to CNet, is his support of the “Right to be Forgotten,” a rule currently in effect in the European Union. Under the “right,” users may demand that Google and other platforms remove all search results relating to them. Photos By Gage Skidmore / United States Naval Academy Photo Archive / Wikimedia Commons