We’re mapping tech’s lobbying efforts

In the face of legislative progress, a sector stood out in lobbying against the regulations in the world: Big Tech.

This is a group of elective groups such as Meta (owner of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram), Alphabet (owner of Google), Amazon, Microsoft and Apple-as “Great Five ve and China’s Bayanlık (Tiktok’s Owner) and Latin American Giant Mercado Libre, as well as new players.

Technology giants have more effects on people’s lives than many governments. However, unlike the governments that are responsible to the public and governed by multiple institutions, laws and regulations, Big Tech is aimed at maximizing profits and is only responsible for their shareholders – Especially those who control companies that can be counted on the one hand.

There are very little data on how to act to influence legislation. Today, Big Tech is the sector that spends the most for lobbying in the European Union, which companies should declare their investments. In 2024, the sector spent 67 million € ($ 119 million), an increase of 57% since 2020. In the United States, which must publish the lobby expenses of companies, an increase of 13% compared to 2023, an increase of 13% compared to 2023, opened to companies and companies opened to companies compared to Amazon, Meta and Microsoft. Committee and CEOs were lined up during the event.

Large technology companies also have more money than many countries. According to the information described in the financial statements, Google’s owner Alphabe, Chile’s GDP, three times the Ecuador and the ten times El Salvador’un 2024’de earned $ 350 billion revenue. In 2024, Meta generated 164 billion dollars, three times the economic output of Paraguay. Amazon, an Amazon, another technology giant focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, digital flow and AI, is even larger. Last year, the Argentine GDP had half of Indonesia and about $ 638 billion in revenues, one third of Brazil.

Bargaining forces are larger in less developed countries and know how to use it. In some countries, like most of Latin America, lobbying is irregular, which makes it more difficult to measure lobbyists to monitor their actions and to measure the extent to which the laws passing through legislative bodies.

This lobby is performed by good paid professionals with work. It is known as “government relations” or “public relations .. These operators hire third parties to act on behalf of law firms or business associations. They invest in ways of establishing and maintaining relationships with the authorities; Encourage special meetings and pay for trips and post -job dinner; and alliances based on accessing technologies.

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), lobby and impact activities are “actions önteen to fulfill the actions carried out directly or through any natural or legal person, stakeholders, media or a wider audience and referring to public decision -making and voter processes.

Lobby strategies usually go beyond the relationship with public officials and may include campaigns to manipulate the public, press, financing of institutes, and even the production of scientific knowledge.

In his book Careless peopleFormer Facebook ruler Sarah Wynn-Williams surprised his bosses of their forces, and how he began to negotiate with governments around the world and arises only from profit, “rapidly growing and resulting in laws”. The author explained the slogan Mark Zuckerberg’s motto of Mark Zuckerberg from Meta, who told his team to “move fast and break something”.

The invisible hand of Big Teh’s invisible hand, how these lobbying operations work today, the sector sued against governments in the courts, how to shape the operations operations to avoid the regulation, affected public information, discussing public information, repetitions, are included in the repetitions.

This investigation directed by Brazil Agência Pública and Centro Latinoamericano de Inportación Periodística (Clip) brought together 15 media organizations from 13 countries: CUESTİóN PúBlica (Colombia); Daily Maverick (South Africa); Al -diario ar (Argentina); Alti (Paraguay); Facultum (El Salvador); ICL (Brazil); IJF (Canada); La bot (Chile); Lighthouse reports (International); Núcleo (Brazil); Premiums (Ecuador); Techpolice.press (United States); TV N+ (Mexican); Tempo (Indonesia); And Crirase (Australia), with the support of non -boundary (international) support of reporters of the Freedom of Expression Organization.

For the first time, a collaborative and cross -border investigation has identified approximately 3,000 lobbying action performed before congresses and governments in various countries accessible in an interactive database. In addition, we have recorded legal procedures and draft legislation on the rules of the game in the technology industry.

Learn more about lobby tactics and methodological grade defined in this project. Here.

This is an arranged quote. Go for the whole story Here.

Making the “invisible hand ın of the big technology is visible is a task that the organizations participating in this project think they are urgent. Therefore, they all contain a collective notification about the financing they have received from technology companies in the past or in the past. Look at the full list here.

Big Tech’s invisible hand A collaborative journalism investigation directed by the Brazilian news organization Agência pública And Centro Latinoamericano de researcher periodística (Clip)with Crirase (Australia), CUESTİóN PúBlica (Colombia), Daily Maverick (South Africa), Al -diario ar (Argentina), Alti (Paraguay), Facultum (El Salvador), ICL (Brazil), Researcher Journalism Foundation – IJF (Canada), Lab (Chile), Lighthouse reports (International), N+focus (Mexican), Núcleo (Brazil), Premiums (Ecuador), Technology Policy Press (USA) and Tempo (Indonesia). Unlimited reporters And law team Hand Veinte supported the project and La Fábrica Meméicica Designed a visual identity.

Description: News Media as part of the bargaining code, Private Media (Cikey’s parent company) received funds from the middle of 2021 from Meta and Google. Meta terminated its agreements with all publishers in 2024. Private media continues to receive funds from Google as part of the code.