President Joe Biden is facing a pushback as he looks to fill out his team to take on the tech industry.
According to Politico, many on the progressive left are arguing against hiring people for key posts who have a Silicon Valley background.
Those progressives argue social media helped fuel the riot at the Capitol and say Facebook and Twitter were both slow to restrict extremist content on their platforms.
“We’re seeing the detrimental effect of this unchecked power,” said Morgan Harper, senior adviser with the progressive American Economic Liberties Project. “It’s endangering lives.”
In addition to the riot, critics point to claims of antitrust violations and breaches of user data.
More than 40 liberal advocacy groups wrote to Biden this week after reports that he was considering Renata Hesse, to lead antitrust efforts at the Justice Department. Politico noted Hesse has worked in private practice with Amazon and Google.
“We urge you to avoid appointing to key antitrust enforcement positions individuals who have served as lawyers, lobbyists, or consultants for Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google," they said in the Monday letter. "Instead, we encourage you to appoint experienced litigators or public servants who have recognized the dangers of, rather than helped to exacerbate, these corporations’ market power.”
Those signing the letter included Demand for Progress and the Open Markets Institute.
Meanwhile, Silicon Valley has been working behind the scenes to secure senior roles for tech allies in lesser-known but still vital parts of Biden's administration.