Hello and welcome to the political orphanage, a home for plucky misfits and problem solvers. I'm your host Andrew Heaton and today we're going to talk about big tech.

Let me tell you why we're going to discuss big tech on today's program.

Last week we explored why people are afraid of technology

and if you haven't listened to that episode with Jason Fyfer,

I highly recommend you do.

We get into the psychology, the culture, maybe even a little bit of the

evolutionary impulses that lead people to be suspicious or afraid of new

technology. This week we're going to explore the intersection of that fear with policy.

When Republicans and Democratic lawmakers get spooked, what do they do?

At least until recently, they haul out tech executives. spooked, what do they do?

At least until recently, they haul out tech executives

and they put them in the stocks

and then pummel them with accusations and questions

in a kind of show trial.

But there's a lot of rancor both from the Republican Party and the Democratic

Party. There's not a pro-tech party the same way that there's like a pro-gun party or a pro-choice party or anything like that.

And for that reason, I suspect we're ripe for some bipartisan legislation to rough up these tech companies.

Either split them up under anti-monopoly legislation or

regulate how they moderate their content, ostensibly to make them more politically

neutral. So today we're going to explore what are the actual harms being perpetrated by big tech against

consumers and citizens?

What are the proposed policies which Republicans and Democrats are suggesting to rein them in and

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