Competitiveness Coalition is said to have received more than $1m from the industry giant
Tech giant allegedly gives more than $1m to outfit fighting antitrust bill and pretending to be a US taxpayer advocateThe logo of Amazon is seen during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in Cannes, France on June 21 2022. Picture: REUTERS/ERIC GAILLARD
The Competitiveness Coalition was founded in March as the bipartisan antitrust bill was gaining steam on Capitol Hill. It has met Republican legislators, run TV campaigns and put out opinion articles opposing the measure — all without revealing the backing from the e-commerce giant. Alphabet’s Google, Meta Platforms’s Facebook, Apple and Amazon have doled out hundreds of millions of dollars as they seek to defeat the measures.
During the fight over the antitrust bills, internet giants have leant heavily on “astroturfing”, orchestrated publicity campaigns creating the illusion of public support. In the past year alone, the companies have heaped money into groups claiming to represent Black and Hispanic communities, small businesses and national security officials, seeking to bolster their claims that the legislation would hurt everyday people — not just four of the world’s largest companies.
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