Internet and Technology
Silicon Valley plays a central role in changing the world through technological innovations. These changes have improved the lives of millions and have opened up a world of job and economic opportunity nationwide. However, they also come with a host of new challenges to consider. I believe that in the age of technology and connectivity, we are entitled to a basic set of rights that protect access, privacy, and universality of internet use.
The lack of universal access to broadband is a prevalent inequality in today’s society. The internet is no longer a privilege. That is why I will work with Congress and technology companies to make it available to all communities, regardless of income or geography. This also means protecting net neutrality. For the internet to remain a free and open public service, we must maintain the rules that prevent internet service providers (ISPs) from extorting their customers for quality access. I will stand up to the big corporations that want to roll back these vital protections.
It is also important that Americans are safe from warrantless data collection and fully informed of who has access to the information that they put on the web. Individual privacy is protected in the U.S. Constitution, and I will work hard to shield Americans from unnecessary surveillance.
Click here to learn more about the bills that I introduced and cosponsored.
Read my op-ed in The Hill on supporting tech jobs nationwide.
More on Internet and Technology
Washington, DC – Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) released the following statement on Senate passage of the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (IDEA) (H.R. 5759):
Washington, DC – Rep. Khanna of Silicon Valley released the below statement in light of Google CEO Pichai’s testimony today.
These days, Silicon Valley occupies a fraught place in the American psyche, one far bigger than the slice of California it fills geographically. It’s at once a hotbed of innovation, a threat to democracy easily exploited by Russia and others, a gobsmackingly powerful economic engine, a privacy-gobbling leviathan, a factory churning out our cherished digital tools, a social-division-exacerbating menace, and also, just maybe, the United States’ last best hope.
Government agencies would have to create better digital services for citizens under legislation passed Thursday in the House by voice vote.
The bipartisan 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (IDEA) broadly aims to update the government’s digital footprint by requiring that public-facing agency websites have a “consistent look” and are compliant with the web standards developed by the Technology Transformation Services of the General Services Administration. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., introduced the legislation in May.
Washington, DC – Following today’s passage of the IDEA Act in the House Rep. Khanna issued the below statement:
“The 21st Century IDEA will modernize government agencies. It’s time our government agencies adopt the innovative technologies of the 21st Century,” Rep. Khanna said. “Government exists to serve citizens, and this bill ensures government leverages available technology to provide the cohesive, user-friendly online service that people around this country expect and deserve.”
On this week’s interview episode, Nilay is joined by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Verge policy reporter Makena Kelly to discuss Congress’ plans to regulate Big Tech in the new year. Earlier this month, Democrats were able to take back a majority in the House of Representatives, and after blockbuster events this year like Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica scandal, lawmakers are gearing up to rein in these Silicon Valley giants.
5 BURNING QUESTIONS ON HQ2 — Amazon officially ended one of the tech sector’s long-running mysteries Tuesday by unveiling Crystal City in Virginia and the Queens borough of New York as the locations for its next headquarters. But questions remain about how the HQs will affect the two regions, how the company’s larger presence in Washington will factor in politically, and more. Here are five things to watch for as HQ2 moves closer to fruition.
If the mayor of a city is its best representative, then Dallas has a broken heart. “We don’t like to lose. This does not make us happy,” Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said at a press conference Tuesday, referencing Amazon’s decision not to select his city as a location for its second headquarters. “We competed hard, we competed well, but we did not succeed,” he went on, sounding like a coach addressing a team who thought it had the big game in the bag. “I like to win so my heart’s broken today.”
LAGUNA BEACH, Calif.—While Silicon Valley companies face increased scrutiny over the role they play in elections and the propagation of false or biased news, politicians and industry insiders at a Wall Street Journal conference said there should be limited regulation of the industry.