Since January 2021, the largest players in the technology industry have been lobbying against antitrust legislation reform that will ban such platforms from favouring their own products and services, The Wall Street Journal has reported.
In total, the group of companies has spent over $36.4m (£29.5m) on their advertising efforts. Almost 40 per cent of the sum has been spent on television and internet advertising since May 1, according to data from ad-tracking service AdImpact. By contrast, groups supporting the legislation have spent around $193,000 (£156,000).
The sums involved have made it one of the biggest ad campaigns by the technology industry in recent years, reflecting the potentially game-changing nature of the proposed law.
The ad campaign opposes the passing of the American Innovation and Choice Online Act, a bipartisan bill that will be voted by the Senate in the summer of 2022. Versions of the law have already advanced out of both chambers...