The Conservative Weaponization of Government Against Tech

The recent backlash against “Big Tech” has come from both sides of the aisle, with the conservative anti-tech sentiment showing up in state laws governing social media in Florida, Texas, Louisiana, and more, as well as in Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s blueprint for the future of conservative policy. While advocating for small government and a hands-off regulatory approach in many other areas, anti-tech conservatives also argue for breaking up Big Tech, banning TikTok, and scrapping Section 230, relying on many of the same arguments that anti-tech liberals use: tech is addictive, harmful to children, detrimental to free speech and privacy, and responsible for bias and political division. 

Join ITIF for an expert panel discussion exploring how anti-tech conservatives would weaponize the government against technology, the legitimacy of conservatives’ anti-tech arguments, and the implications of their proposals for society.

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