According to a statement by well-known businessman Bill Gates, the US government should strengthen its regulations regarding large technology companies, which have an impact on culture, business and generally all areas of life.
“Technology has become so central to everyday life that governments need to think: What does this mean for elections, what does this mean for intimidation? What does this mean for the authorities that allow you to find out what’s going on with money laundering and all these issues,” the Microsoft (MSFT) founder told the Economic Club of Washington on Monday. “So yes, government needs to get involved.”
Gates talked about everything from founding Microsoft to his investments in clean energy during his keynote address. But his views on government interference in the tech sector were especially important, given the recent government scrutiny of the practices, influence and privacy of tech companies like Facebook (FB), Amazon (AMZN), Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOG), both from law enforcement and political candidates.
Gates said he expects "there will be more scrutiny in the technology sector, especially when it comes to privacy issues." The protection of users' privacy and personal data has often been in the spotlight, especially after major scandals, such as those associated with Facebook.
“The fact that this is now the way people engage with media means we need to shape it so that the benefits outweigh the negatives,” he said.
Gates said Monday that today's tech giants have learned from their past mistakes. Microsoft itself has faced antitrust litigation, which forced it to change some of its practices.
And it is clear that his company has now truly learned from its mistakes, having so far avoided the antitrust lawsuits that other major technology companies are currently facing.
