So the biggest companies in the field of technology have reportedly spent more money lobbying the respective governments of different countries in 2018 than they have ever done before and according to a new report coming in from, Reuters, Google has spent an estimated $21.2 million on lobbying efforts in the year 2018 which is a new record for the company and it shows that the company has spent more on lobbying in this year alone then they have spent in the last 6years combined which gives us the idea of the concept. In addition to Google, Facebook also increased their efforts and in total cranked up its lobbying efforts by spending $12.62 million on lobbying alone which is the most the social network has ever spent on political influence gain from a government.
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Moreover, Google and Facebook weren’t the only ones who wanted to gain some political influence, in terms if the major expenditures,. Amazon spent close to about $14 million and Microsoft stacked up a bill of $9.52 million on lobbying last year, an increase of more than $1 million over its spending in 2017. Apple actually ended up decreasing their lobbying charges in the previous year by spending about $6.62 million this year then they did in 2017 which was about $7.15 million the year prior. Even Twitter spent more than $1 million for the first time ever. Combined, the biggest companies in tech spent more than $64 million trying to swing influence in Washington, D.C.
Tech companies spent more than $64 Million on Lobbying in the year 2018
While the reported technology giants spent a lot on lobbying , there was also an increase in the scrutinywhich is being applied to the firms by these lawmakers. Top executives from Facebook, Google, Twitter and Apple all made appearances in front of Congress to discuss how the companies protect user data. The companies also faced criticism for them allowing Russian trolls to manipulate their platforms to spread false news and stir controversy amongthe vast social media population and well lawmakers continue to take advantage of these new ideas on how to regulate the tech industry and in turn expect these mega companies to continue pouring cash into lobbying efforts in attempts to influence any potential legislation which can benefit the government all in all.
