U.S. tech leadership is key to maintaining democracy.
Edge 22 [Edge; 03-01-22; The American Edge Project is a coalition dedicated to the proposition that American innovators are an essential part of U.S. economic health, national security and individual freedoms; The American Edge Project; “The Critical Role U.S. Tech Innovators Play in Advancing Democracy and Democratic Values”; https://americanedgeproject.org/the-critical-role-u-s-tech-innovators-play-in-advancing-democracy-and-democratic-values/] cathryn
In his State of the Union speech, President Joe Biden outlined democracy’s fierce battle against authoritarian aggression, and promised that “freedom will always triumph over tyranny.” U.S. technology innovation plays a key role in America’s effort to advance freedom and promote democratic values. This stands in stark contrast to the regressive, closed-off, and oppressive worldview of techno-autocracies of China and Russia.
As Russia plows forward in its invasion of Ukraine, the stakes cannot be understated, nor can the need for U.S. lawmakers to get it right be more urgent. Pursuing laws that would undermine American innovation and offer a leg up to techno-autocracies would be a terrible mistake. Now more than ever, it’s vital for leaders to strengthen our domestic tech industry and sharpen America’s technological edge on the global stage.
Democracy is Under Attack by Authoritarian Regimes
Across multiple theaters, democracy and democratic values are under attack by authoritarian powers, including:
On the battlefield: Authoritarian Russia launched an unprovoked war against its democratic neighbor, Ukraine, and is using the threat of nuclear weapons to try to suppress efforts by democracies across the globe to rally together to oppose its attacks on freedom.
In cyberspace: Authoritarian regimes are abusing the Internet to thwart freedom. Russia launched cyberwarfare as a prerequisite for invading Ukraine. Belarus shut off the Internet to silence protesters. China censors its citizens.
Across the globe: Freedom around the world declined in 2021 for the 16th consecutive year, according to an annual reportfrom Freedom House, which warns that countries including China and Russia “are actively collaborating with one another to spread new forms of repression and rebuff democratic pressure.”
America’s Tech Companies Aid the Cause of Democracy and Help Advance Democratic Values
America’s technology sector is a critical player in this global battle against China and other authoritarian regimes. While domestic technology companies have offices all across the globe, they advance America’s national security interests and stand up for democratic values. Examples include:
American tech companies are helping the cause of freedom in Ukraine. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has turned the platforms of the world’s biggest tech companies into major battlefields. Some have barred Russian state-run media from selling ads on their platforms and removed disinformation campaignsand fake accounts from Russian state actors targeting Ukraine. Others have rolled out account privacy and security protections to protect users in the area. Others consulted with the European Union (EU) on how to counter Russian disinformation and temporarily disabled key features. And others disabled digital pay services. While U.S. companies don’t always get it right, we could not count on China’s large platforms to take similar actions in defense of democracy. In fact, we should bet on them equipping their government in its efforts to suppress freedom.
American tech companies are also protecting us from cyberattacks. Even before the recent cyberattacks against Ukraine, cybersecurity was called “the issue of the decade.” Working with the U.S. government, America’s tech companies are pledging to spend billions more on cybersecurity to protect our interests. Some are developing programs to harden tech supply chains. Others are investing billions in cybersecurity and training for 100,000 Americans. Others are spending billions more in advanced protection tools, as well as helping government agencies upgrade security systems. And others are pledging to train 150,000 more people in cybersecurity skills over three years, including partnering with HBCUs to diversify the workforce.
America’s companies are also investing billions of dollars in the race to gain the upper hand against China in the strategic technologies that will determine the future – including artificial intelligence, 5G, quantum computing, extended reality, and the Internet of Things (IoT). Many of these are considered “dual use” technologies, with commercial and military applications. China not only heavily subsidies its “national champion” companies, but under its military-civilian fusion program, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) forces all of its companies to share any technology breakthroughs with its military, and then uses these technologies to restrict freedoms and censor speech.