Ahead of the final sprint of the 2026 legislative session, which begins Monday, Tech Oversight California is calling on policymakers, the media, and the public to be on alert as Big Tech ramps up spending to fend off efforts to rein in its monopolistic, profit-at-all-costs business models.
“CEOs are tracking workers’ heartbeats, scanning their faces, and logging every keystroke — with zero rules and zero consent. No one should be tracked all shift and fired by an algorithm. No wonder more than 1,600 of Meta’s own employees revolted against being surveilled by Mark Zuckerberg. AB 1883 draws the line on this overreach,…
“Big Tech is spending millions to protect its monopolies, and now we know exactly where that money is going. The COMPETE Act would stop the biggest corporations from crushing competitors before they ever get off the ground, and the industry is doing everything it can to stop it.”
As the COMPETE Act heads to a key vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, Tech Oversight California is calling on lawmakers to advance the landmark anti-monopoly bill, which would stop the state’s largest corporations from crushing competitors before they can get off the ground, over a coordinated, big-money campaign to kill it.
“Given the current vacuum in meaningful federal enforcement, now is the time for California policymakers to come together and give enforcement agencies the tools they need to protect consumers and workers. The COMPETE Act offers a critical opportunity to do just that.”
Tech Oversight California today issued a statement on the bills it is prioritizing as California’s legislature moves into critical second house hearings: “California lawmakers are showing again this session that Sacramento is serious about reining in Big Tech on behalf of small businesses, working people, kids and families. A slate of important legislation just passed…
“We join advocates across California in celebrating the landmark Assembly passage of the COMPETE Act, a bill that would stop Big Tech from crushing competitors before they can get off the ground. The Big Tech lobby and its ally, the California Chamber of Commerce, have made killing this bill their top priority this session, but…
“While the Trump Administration continues to abandon its responsibility to hold corporate interests accountable with a pay-to-play approach to mergers and acquisitions, we’re glad to see California stepping into the antitrust enforcement void to protect consumers in the Golden State.”
A Meta- and Google-backed California Super PAC spent $2.4 million on state legislative races over just four days this month, in its bid to influence lawmakers away from tech accountability legislation that would protect children and teens and lower costs for families.