Facebook and Amazon spent money in 2020

Facebook, which was opposed to a federal and state trust lawsuit as well as a series of hearings calling President Mark Zuckerberg to Washington, cost nearly $ 20 million in 2020, up nearly 18% from a year earlier.

Amazon, which saw CEO Jeff Bezos testify before Congress for the first time and push to expand its business as a government contractor, spent about $ 18 million last year, up about 11% from spending 2019.

“We have made it clear that the internet needs updated rules, which is why we will continue to support new rules that deal with today’s issues online. , ”Said a Facebook spokesperson.

“Amazon offers a wide range of products and services to our customers, and we are always looking for ways to innovate on their behalf. Our team in Washington, DC, is focused on making sure we advocate on issues that matter to policy makers, our employees and our customers, ”said an Amazon spokesperson.

The Journal analyzed reports submitted by U.S. companies to Congress under the Lobbying Publishing Act. The reports cover the whole year.

Apple Inc.

AAPL 1.61%

has announced $ 6.7 million in lobbying spend for 2020, down from a peak of $ 7.4 million in 2019.

Alphabet Inc.’s

GOOG 0.52%

Google also reported a drop in lobbying budget for the second year in a row, costing $ 7.5 million.

Apple and Google declined to comment on the lobbying cost.

Such charges, which must be disclosed under federal law, represent only part of efforts used by the four technical giants to counter the critics and build goodwill in Washington. at a time when they are under clearer attention than ever before.

Google and Facebook have filed a number of lawsuits against trust, and Amazon and Apple have been the subject of preliminary investigations that could go further under Biden’s administration.

While President Biden has not outlined a technical agenda or made key staffing options overseeing the division, Democrats in Congress are pushing to be more aggressive in addressing Big Tech market power. They design their own legislation and monitor issues such as trust, privacy, responsibility for user-created content, and misinformation.

The role of social media in the Capitol riot brought Jan. 6 new crises for those plans – and forced Facebook, Amazon and others to cancel political donations, reducing the source of influence.

A key part of the companies playbook is funding agencies that agree with the companies ’agenda.

In a separate announcement of its political activity, Google said in December that it is a member or major contributor to nearly 200 trade associations and political advocacy groups, including several working on trust issues. . Some organizations have criticized Google.

When a coalition of Colorado-led lawyers filed a suit against Google in mid-December over its leadership in an online search, the president of the Connected Trade Council – one of Google-funded organizations – – out statement exploding the action. It was emailed to reporters before details of the public suit.

Council members are small businesses that benefit from the results of tech companies, its president, Jake Ward, said. He said he has used money from Facebook, Google and Amazon to fund research and staffing, but the companies have no say in the roles the organization takes on.

Facebook in 2020 supported a new advocacy group, the American Edge Project, to warn of the dangers of reducing technical innovation.

In December, two of the group ‘s paid advisers, Sens. Saxby Chambliss (R., Ga.) And Kent Conrad (D., ND), Washington Times report citing a poll conducted on behalf of the group that showed voters have high levels of appreciation for products and technology companies America.

A representative from American Edge said more than two dozen members have diverse backgrounds. They include advocacy groups for other industries, such as medical device manufacturers.

Apple has taken a proactive stance because it felt the heat of attention against trust. Prior to a hearing in July with CEO Tim Cook and other senior executives last year, the company offered to brief transportation employees on a study showing the economic benefits of the App Store. An Apple spokesperson said the study was developed as a curtain builder for the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference.

The companies have also hired Washington experience, according to LinkedIn images of their employees. Under scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission, Facebook last year hired Barbara Blank, a 12-year-old former FTC soldier and former chief executive of the agency’s competition bureau, which manages trust positions.

He also called on two former employees of the Senate Review Committee, who oversee anti-trust and other technology-related issues.

Last year, Amazon, which was the subject of an initial FTC investigation, hired a trusted attorney from the Department of Justice and hired four former FTC officers, including three lawyers against trust and economist.

Apple hired a Justice Department lawyer and a former FTC trust officer who also advised FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter, who is now the executive chair of the agency.

The companies also buy ads with a focus on Washington. Facebook bought digital ads in Washington publications in 2020, supporting “updated internet rules. ”

This month, Big Tech offered Biden administration assistance in fighting the pandemic coronavirus and raised long-shared policy priorities.

Amazon CEO Mr. Biden publicly wrote a letter on Trust Day, offering IT and procurement assistance in the distribution of coronavirus vaccines.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai praised him Mr. Biden’s actions on the first day on the pandemic, climate change and immigration. Mr Cook Apple also praised Mr Biden’s immigration policy.

And before they were set up, Facebook representatives with the Biden movement discussed the companies’ efforts to counter misinformation on the coronavirus, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg hosted federal infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci for a conversation that was broadcast on- line.

Other technical companies include Microsoft Corp.

they spent $ 9.4 million on lobbying in 2020, Oracle Corp.

cost about $ 8.1 million, the owner of TikTok ByteDance Inc. $ 2.6 million and Twitter Inc.

cost $ 1.5 million.

– Iain D. MacKinnon contributed to this article.

Write to Ryan Tracy at [email protected], Chad’s Day at [email protected] and Anthony DeBarros at [email protected]