Republican presidential contenders are taking aim at Silicon Valley

Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) signed into law a so-called “digital bill of rights” aimed at giving residents more control of their data, boosting children’s protections online, and barring social networks from coordinating with government officials to “censor” speech. It marked the latest broadside from a Republican presidential contender against Silicon Valley, which is poised to be a significant target as the 2024 campaign heats up. White House hopefuls are increasingly outlining their views on key tech fronts as we barrel toward the election. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) has not been a major player in the debates around tech regulation in Congress, in part because he has not sat on the most relevant committees. But he has weighed in more decisively on two fronts: claims of tech “censorship” and industry ties to China. It’s unclear how much Mike Pence’s tech agenda may differ from Trump’s — whose enforcers targeted the tech giants over claims of bias and on competition grounds but also faced criticisms for not doing more to check their alleged antitrust and privacy abuses. Nikki Haley has taken two notable positions in recent months as her campaign has geared up: calling for a total ban against TikTok in the United States, decrying what she called Chinese “spying,” and assailing the Silicon Valley Bank rescue as a “bailout” for “Big Tech and Chinese companies.”