Data privacy bill unites Charles Koch and Big Tech

Organisations run by Charles Koch have begun to lobby US politicians on data privacy, as the American billionaire and conservative donor deepens his unlikely alliance with Silicon Valley, and Google in particular. Koch-affiliated organisations, including the Charles Koch Institute and Americans for Prosperity, have identified privacy as one of their top political priorities for the year, as politicians prepare the first drafts of a bill that could, for the first time, place national limits on how technology companies use data, including banning companies from passing on customer data to third parties.  The issue has brought together the Republican power broker and major players in the technology industry, including Google. 

Billy Easley, senior technology policy analyst at Americans for Prosperity, said, "It is essential to protect privacy without destroying Americans’ ability to create groundbreaking technology.  Heavy-handed measures can choke off innovation while doing little to protect consumers and unleashing unintended consequences.”