Washington, D.C. – TechNet, the national, bipartisan network of innovation economy CEOs and senior executives, today issued the following statement, attributed to TechNet President and CEO Linda Moore, after the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (AICOA) was reintroduced in the U.S. Senate:

“Since this bill was first introduced in the last Congress, lawmakers and national security experts have raised red flags about how AICOA would impact our global competitiveness, our national security, and our privacy. These legitimate and serious concerns remain.

“AICOA would open our digital borders to cyberattacks from adversaries looking to undermine American influence and, in the absence of a federal privacy law, put American’s data and privacy at greater risk. The bill continues to put foreign companies above American companies by arbitrarily targeting and hamstringing the most successful U.S. businesses while doing nothing to address competitors from China, which would be the real winner if this bill passes.

“Sponsors of the legislation also remain uncertain about what it would actually do – with contradictory statements being made by both sides about its impact on moderating online content. There should be no ambiguity or confusion – the ramifications on our economy and national security are too great.

“Families are concerned about putting food on their table and paying the bills. They want to see Congress pass solutions that improve their lives – not degrade the products they love and use every day and put their data at risk. Instead, Congress should protect the data and privacy of all Americans by passing a federal privacy law, which is supported by 83 percent of voters compared to only three percent of U.S. adults who say antitrust regulation of tech companies is a top issue. One national privacy standard would safeguard our economy from a costly and growing 50-state privacy patchwork, assure consumers their data is protected no matter their age or where they live, and give businesses certainty about their responsibilities so they can spend their resources on creating jobs rather than paying legal bills.

“We urge Congress to conduct a thorough review of AICOA and hear from a wide range of experts to address concerns and avoid any unintended consequences that would weaken our global competitiveness and undermine our national security.”

For more information, go to technet.org/AICOA.