Technology is the main repository of technology lobbying, but Facebook and Amazon are also rising

While the largest US technology companies are under increased scrutiny by regulators for privacy and market control, they are spending significantly more money to try to influence legislators. No American company spends more money on these efforts than Google.

Last year, the company spent $ 21.7 million on lobbying, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. For two consecutive years, he has been the leading investor in companies, ahead of traditional leaders like Boeing and AT & T. Amazon and Facebook have also achieved record levels of lobbying spending in 2018.

For years, as their market capitals grew in line with consumer influence, America's largest technology companies prepared for the day when their business practices would be examined more closely. It seems like the time is now. Between Friday and Monday, reports revealed that the Department of Justice was preparing an antitrust investigation on Google and that Apple now had jurisdiction over Apple as part of a broader review of the technology sector. The Federal Trade Commission has assumed oversight of Amazon and Facebook.

Even before the latest regulatory developments, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were increasing pressure on tech companies. One of the most critical critics is the Massachusetts Senator, Elizabeth Warren, Democratic presidential candidate, who promoted a "Breaking Up the Tech" campaign.

Lobbying spending by technology companies has been steadily increasing in recent years and has increased significantly over the last decade. In 2009, Google spent just $ 4 million on lobbying, a figure that has increased fivefold over last year, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

The company began spending more on lobbying in 2011 and 2012, facing the challenges of the FTC. In 2012, Google paid more than $ 22.5 million in fines to settle the FTC's confidentiality charges, and the following year, it agreed to change some of its business practices due to concerns that the company was stifling competition.

Amazon, which spent $ 14.4 million on lobbying last year, and Facebook, which distributed $ 12.6 million, is also among the top 20 largest corporate investors. Facebook's costs have increased by 45% over 2016 and nearly sixty times compared to 2009. The company expects a fine of up to $ 5 billion as a result of A FTC investigation launched after the Cambridge Analytica scandal, aimed at determining whether Facebook had violated the agreement reached obtaining explicit consent to share user data.

Amazon's expenses have increased by 27% in two years and almost eight times in a decade.

Microsoft spent $ 9.6 million on lobbying, an increase of about $ 8.7 million for each of the previous two years. And Apple spent $ 6.68 million last year, down slightly from 2017 but well above 2016. Companies are spending on issues ranging from competition to privacy.

The United States is far behind Europe in enforcement. In March, a $ 1.7 billion fine from the European Commission was imposed on Google for stifling competition in the field of online advertising. Since 2017, the EU has imposed on the company two other fines totaling nearly $ 8 billion for anti-competitive practices.

While the sums invested by large technology companies in political lobbying represent only a tiny fraction of their huge cash reserves, the increased allocation reflects the importance of decisions made in Washington, DC , on their future growth.

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