Klobuchar pushes for net neutrality, privacy rules in campaign launch

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) lashed out at tech giants and called for net neutrality safeguards in the speech launching her presidential campaign over the weekend.

During her remarks in Boom Island, Minn., Klobuchar unveiled an extensive platform that included a net neutrality “guarantee” and internet privacy rules to curb online data collection.

“We need to put some digital rules of the road into law when it comes to privacy,” she said. “For too long the big tech companies have been telling you, ‘Don’t worry, we’ve got your back’ while your identities in fact are being stolen and your data is being mined. Our laws need to be as sophisticated as the people who are breaking them.”

{mosads}The remarks are the latest sign that social media giants will be a punching bag for 2020 campaigns, a major shift from prior presidential election cycles when candidates, especially Democrats, would court Silicon Valley and even partner with them.

Klobuchar on Sunday didn’t offer details about the new rules or laws she might propose, but she previously introduced privacy legislation with Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) as Congress discussed a federal consumer data law in the wake of a string of high-profile privacy breaches and scandals.

Her Social Media Privacy and Consumer Rights Act would require websites to allow users to opt out of having their data collected and to be more transparent about how they’re sharing sensitive information.

It’s unclear what her net neutrality proposal would include. Klobuchar and other Democrats spoke out against the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to repeal its net neutrality rules in 2017, which is facing a legal challenge before a federal appeals court.

Republicans have called for a bipartisan bill to replace the rules, but Democrats and activists have resisted so far while the issue is playing out in the courts. Klobuchar’s campaign did not immediately respond when asked for details.