What Can The Tech Industry Expect From Trump? Internet Association Sends Road Map To President-Elect

Forty internet companies, including the biggest names on the web, sent their wish-list to president-elect Donald Trump Monday, providing a “road map” for the next four years.

The Internet Association congratulated Trump and listed stronger encryption and overhauling government surveillance among its top concerns. The group also recommended leaving U.S. liability regulations governing the broad usage of copyrighted works in place and promoted treaties that facilitate the free flow of information.

“We look forward to working closely with the Trump administration, along with Republicans and Democrats in Congress, to implement policies that promote innovation and cement the internet’s role as a driver of economic and social progress for future generations,” Internet Association President and CEO Michael Beckerman said in a statement.

Monday’s overture may amount to damage control. During the summer, 145 tech leaders warned Trump would be a “disaster for innovation.”

Trump was against the federal government’s decision to give the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers to an international nonprofit, saying the internet should remain under U.S. control, “end of story,” and called the current administration’s push for net neutrality a “top-down power grab.”

Analysts have said they expect the Trump administration to turn more toward telecommunications providers and away from internet companies, Morning Consult reported.

The association represents tech giants like Google, Facebook and Amazon, as well as startups like Airbnb and Uber.

Though it did not endorse any candidate during the presidential campaign, many of the biggest players contributed to Democrat Hillary Clinton’s effort, and the association has endorsed the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the 12-nation trade agreement Trump decried during the campaign.

Immigration is another issue on which the industry is likely to clash with the new administration. The tech industry has promoted looser rules for high-skilled immigrants, Bloomberg noted. Trump has made contradictory statements on the H-1B visa program, which software companies use to bring in foreign workers. He has suggested boosting pay for H-1B visa holders to encourage companies to give entry-level jobs to those already in the United States rather than flying in new people.

Trump indicated in a New York Times interview during the summer that cybersecurity is one of his major concerns but has indicated he’s not sympathetic to privacy concerns.