US President Joe Biden Eyes Big Tech Critic Lina Khan for Regulatory Post: Reports

Khan's appointment would follow the naming of Tim Wu, another Big Tech critic, to an economic advisory post in the White House.

By Agence France-Presse | Updated: 10 March 2021 11:22 IST

US President Joe Biden Eyes Big Tech Critic Lina Khan for Regulatory Post: Reports

The news comes amid a growing backlash against tech behemoths which have dominated key economic sectors

Highlights

Khan's appointment would follow naming of Tim Wu, another Big Tech critic
Khan recently worked on a House of Representatives panel
She also authored a 2017 paper called "Amazon's Antitrust Paradox"

President Joe Biden plans to nominate a prominent advocate of breaking up Big Tech firms to a key regulatory post, suggesting an aggressive antitrust stance, media reports said Tuesday.

The reports said Lina Khan - a Columbia University law professor who has suggested antitrust laws could be interpreted to break up tech titans - would be named to the Federal Trade Commission, an agency with some authority over mergers and antitrust policy.

Khan's appointment would follow the naming of Tim Wu, another Big Tech critic, to an economic advisory post in the White House.

[Sponsored] Samsung Galaxy S24: The Ultimate Camera Phone With Smarter On-Device AI

Her appointment has not been announced but reports from Politico, the Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post cited sources as saying she was on track for the post.

Khan recently worked on a House of Representatives panel which drafted a lengthy report on large technology firms, making a case for splitting up some of the tech giants.

She also authored a 2017 paper called "Amazon's Antitrust Paradox," which outlined the growing dominance of the e-commerce and tech giant.

US President Joe Biden Enlists ‘World Class’ Cyber-Security Team

The news comes amid a growing backlash against tech behemoths which have dominated key economic sectors and seen their influence grow during the coronavirus pandemic.

Aurelien Portuese of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a think tank which often reflects the views of the sector, expressed concern about the reports.

"Together with Tim Wu, who has recently been appointed to serve as the White House's adviser on competition and technology policy, Lina Khan has been instrumental in bringing a populist view of antitrust to mainstream media and the general public," Portuese said in a statement.

"Her influence gained momentum when she helped write the House Antitrust Subcommittee report on big tech companies. Khan's antitrust populism threatens to derail traditional enforcement of antitrust laws as an engine for enhancing consumer benefits and spurring innovation."

Are Amazonbasics TVs Good Enough to Beat Mi TVs in India? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.