Koch operation casts wary eye on tech regulation

The influence network led by billionaire Charles Koch is watching a growing push to regulate Big Tech firms with alarm. Officials, scholars, and donors with links to the network expressed unease with the idea that sweeping regulation will solve tech's problems — like platforms that facilitate the spread of malicious content or privacy practices that outrage users — and worried lawmakers aren't being precise enough. “Take the example of privacy — what’s the actual problem you’re trying to solve?" said Jesse Blumenthal, who leads the Charles Koch Foundation's tech policy work.  People are proposing solutions instead of answering questions first, he added. Art Pope, a retail magnate and prominent donor to the network's activities, said that while he believes social media companies are biased against conservatives, he thinks they should be regulated by "voluntary societal pressure" instead of governments.