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Donald Trump vows to continue the crackdown on Big Tech, but while his nominee for the DOJ’s Anti-Trust Division says all the right things, Gail Slater has a long history of working for the companies that she will now be regulating. Slater served as general counsel for the Internet Association, which was once one of “the most powerful” tech trade groups. The Internet Association pushed for fewer regulations on technology companies, although they did not take a stance on anti-trust policy. In addition to the Internet Association, Slater also worked as an in-house lobbyist for Fox. During her time there, Slater was involved in a conflict-of-interest episode after she wrote an op-ed with a Republican staffer praising a bill that the staffer had helped pass that also benefited Fox. The incident was described as “shocking” for its brazen demonstration of the power lobbyist hold in Washington. Gail Slater’s career has been spent helping the large companies she is now supposed to regulate. Her clear conflicts-of-interest could prove to be a major problem in the second Trump Administration. |
Gail Slater Served As General Counsel For The Internet Association, “The Most Powerful” Tech Trade Group. According to CNN, "But she has also been a voice for some of the tech industry’s largest players, spending more than three years as general counsel at the Internet Association. Although the trade group shut down in 2021, it was considered the most powerful tech industry association of its time, representing Amazon, Facebook, Google and Microsoft, among others." [CNN, 12/4/24]
The Internet Association Lobbied For “Limited Government Regulation” For Tech Companies. According to Axios, "IA was once a highly influential group, fighting for policy to help internet companies grow with limited government regulation. It described itself as the 'unified voice of the internet economy.'" [Axios, 12/14/21]
The Internet Association Supported Section 230 Which Gave Tech Companies Liability Shield. According to Axios, "The organization has long worked to promote the importance of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the law that shields tech from most liability from third-party posts, but members were increasingly at odds over that policy and legislative paths forward." [Axios, 12/14/21]
2021: Gail Slater Co-Authored An Op-Ed With A Republican Staffer Praising A Streaming Law That Benfitted Her Employer. In 2021, Abigail Slater, then serving as Senior Vice-President of Policy and Strategy at Fox, wrote an op-ed with Brad Watts, who was the Chief Counsel to Senate Republicans on the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Intellectual Property. According to an opinion by Abigail Slater and Brad Watts, "Some public policy issues are solutions in search of a problem, but unlawful streaming of copyrighted content is emphatically not one of those issues. U.S. Senators Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Patrick Leahy’s (D-Vt.) Protecting Lawful Streaming Act of 2020 (PLSA) became law in December 2020 as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. The importance of this law cannot be overstated. Not only did the PLSA modernize criminal copyright law in a long-overdue and positive direction, but it may also signal a new model for legislating digital copyright law going forward." [Brad Watts and Abigail Slater - Regulatory Review, 4/12/21]
Senate Staffer: “It’s Shocking" That Tillis’ Office Allowed A Staffer To Write An Op-Ed With A Corporate Lobbyist. According to Techdirt, "I’ve spoken to multiple DC policy folks both inside and outside of Congress and literally none can think of any other example when a Congressional staffer and a top corporate lobbyist teamed up to write an op-ed together. It’s literally unprecedented. More than one person I spoke to expressed complete bewilderment that this op-ed even came to be. 'How did no one in Tillis’ office not realize that this was a bad idea?' was the quote a staffer in another Senate office told me. 'It’s shocking.'" [Techdirt, 5/6/21]