Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) argued in a letter to Schumer that the current moment “requires a new federal agency to protect consumers, promote competition, and defend the public interest.”
Bennet and Welch introduced legislation to establish a commission to oversee digital platforms last May, which was followed by a similar proposal from Warren and Graham in July.
In Tuesday’s letter, the four senators emphasized the federal government’s previous struggles to regulate large tech companies, especially with the rise of social media, in calling for a new agency.
“Piecemeal efforts to regulate technology have failed,” they wrote. “Over the past fifteen years, social media platforms have wreaked havoc on our children’s mental health, undermined user privacy, and distorted market incentives.”
“Now, these same companies stand to benefit from the rapid development and deployment of [artificial intelligence],” the senators added.
Read more in a full report at TheHill.com.
