We’re less than 90 days away from the 2024 US Presidential election, and NOTHING about this election has been standard. It feels like the game of this election changes every day– a Kamala Harris meme storm, Donald Trump live streaming with Elon Musk, and that’s just in one month!
But, amidst all the chaos, what is the conversation among the candidates on tech?
Largely, tech has not been split into a highly partisan issue. Before Harris entered the race, Biden and Trump were talking about implementing policy in similar issue areas like limiting the entrance of Chinese technology imports, and keeping high-technology manufacturing on U.S. soil.
But let’s break down all the other tech elements that these candidates have been talking about!
| Policy Issue |
Harris |
Trump |
| AI Regulation |
While in office as Vice President, Harris aided the Biden administration to pass an ambitious Executive order on AI which aimed to implement better practice in innovation by creating more transparency between companies and consumers. |
Former President Trump’s platform seeks to repeal Biden’s executive order on AI. He largely supports a light touch when regulating AI and other emerging technologies. |
| Antitrust |
The Biden Administration has gone hard after large technology platforms, with a landmark case against Google being ruled in early August. Harris would likely continue this crackdown on large big tech to ensure that companies like Apple and Amazon are not also partaking in monopolistic behavior. |
It is likely that Donald Trump would not be as forceful in cracking down on antitrust violations, as his business background generally makes him be softer on the business community. It is not likely that he would appoint strong enforcers to lead the DOJ and FTC, even though Project 2025 suggests an abolishing of the FTC altogether. |
| Privacy Regulation |
The AI executive order passed by the Biden administration touched on many privacy concerns such as in the use of AI models as well as regarding children. However, in her time as Attorney General, Kamala Harris created a unit in the California Department of Justice which was solely dedicated to “police privacy practices of individuals and organizations to hold accountable those who misuse technology to invade the privacy of others.” |
Donald Trump has not been particularly vocal about internet privacy during his 2024 campaign. However, during his time in office he signed a bill that repealed online privacy protections which were established by the FCC under the Obama administration. |
| Digital Equity |
The largest allocation of funds toward national broadband infrastructure under any presidential administration was put in place during the Biden-Harris administration in June of 2023. It is likely that Harris will stay committed to bringing broadband to all communities during her time in office. |
In his time in office, Donald Trump signed a repeal of U.S. broadband privacy rules, particularly to benefit tech companies and disadvantage consumers. This led to less legislation towards getting those digitally divided connected to the online world. However, Donald Trump did advance policies for the implementation of a more robust 5G infrastructure in rural communities. |
| Cryptocurrency |
Harris takes a tough stance on cryptocurrency regulation, advocating for stronger protection and transparency in the cryptocurrency marketplace. |
Donald Trump, in recent months, has been one of cryptocurrencies loudest fans. He recently headlined a Bitcoin conference in Nashville where he said that the United States would be the “Crypto capital of the planet”. He is a loud advocate for light regulation on cryptocurrency and the exposure of the American public to the digital currencies. |
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